


Pursuit of Happiness

by outindaylight



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Mute Frisk, Nonbinary Chara and Frisk, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Female Character, POV Second Person, Past Relationship(s), Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Rating May Change, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Sans is trying really hard, Sign Language, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Tags May Change, Trust Issues, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-04-29 05:04:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 96,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14465631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/outindaylight/pseuds/outindaylight
Summary: ROCK BOTTOM: THE FIRST EVER MONSTER NIGHTCLUB! WHERE ANYONE, MONSTER OR HUMAN, CAN COME TO HAVE FUN!Or it would be if Sans ever manages to get the place up and running.It's been three long years since the barrier was broken. Monsters are still struggling to make lives for themselves under the open sky and all of Sans' plans have gotten totally screwed up. He could use a little help and you could be just what he needs to get the ball rolling.Or you might be the one thing that finally blows the whole shebang up in his face. Knowing his luck...





	1. Rocky Start

**Author's Note:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** I'll be putting a content warning in the endnotes of the chapters that need it, so make sure to check for that before you read if there are things that might make you uncomfortable. I've seen other stories go this way and I think it's the best way to prevent spoilers while also respecting possible triggers/touchy subjects. If you have any concerns or suggestions, please don't hesitate to let me know. I will still be updating the tags as we go along, but for more specific things I'll rely on this method. Thank you so much.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You make an ass of yourself, but what else was new? Oh, right...the skeletons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Art was a _ridiculously_ expensive hobby.

Stupidly and deceptively expensive, actually. It hadn't seemed so bad at first when you had gotten your first real sketchbook to replace the lined notebook paper and some extra pencils as a birthday gift. All it took from there was some kind, confidence-buffing words about your doodles and you were begging to attend the art workshops held at the local community center. The cost wasn't too terrible, but more than your family could afford at the time and as much as they hated telling you no, it just wasn’t an option. You weren’t an overly difficult child, only reasonably difficult in your opinion, so you understood the circumstances and accepted their answer for what it was. 

That didn’t make you any less dead-set on going though. 

So you started going around the neighborhood, offering to do odd jobs for anything your neighbors were willing to give. Sometimes it wasn’t always money. An elderly lady down the road would often give you a whole tray of cookies to rake her yard and boy, did you want to eat every last one of them yourself. But you had a bigger picture in mind, so you took them to school and sold them for two quarters apiece. You saved every last penny for months until you _finally_ had enough.

It was completely worth it. That entire was summer was devoted to those classes. It was just so amazing what you could create with your own two hands if you really put in the time and effort. Which you did, taking each lesson to heart and devoting hours upon hours at home practicing the techniques you were taught. As the classes progressed, you were exposed to so many new methods, tools, and materials that you couldn’t wait to get your hands on, to try, to learn. Before you knew it your interest had evolved into a full-blown passion.

It all sort of spiraled from there. 

Markers that were several dollars a piece, refills for those markers, graphic tablets with shitty, buggy drivers that cost more than some cars, and all of the paper. So much paper, with different weights for different mediums. Paints, brushes, smudge sticks, color correcting pens, kneaded erasers...

Thank goodness for generic knock-offs or else you would never have been able to keep it up throughout the years.

Some of the blame did fall on you though. You did your absolute best, a real honest effort, not to blow your entire paycheck at the craft store. It was hard to remember that you needed to eat and pay bills as you wandered through the aisles. There was always some sort of dubious “sale” going on and the colors were so pretty and you had always wanted to try that…

No! Focus! That was exactly how you had once ended up eating only peanut butter sandwiches and ramen noodles for a month straight!

Or a few months. Whatever. Not the point. The Cintiq had been totally worth it, but at that moment you just needed to grab a few marker refills, a multimedia sketchbook, and leave before you sent yourself to the poor house. 

And it might have just been your paranoid imagination, but you were pretty sure the usual sales clerk had been giving you strange looks the last few times you came in. Maybe it was because you had developed the bad habit of swinging by after class a few times a week. It really wasn’t intentional. You just always realized you had forgotten something you absolutely _needed_ after you got home. 

Judged or not, you took your items up to the register to pay.

“Back again?” the clerk asked, hand moving automatically to press some buttons and his eyes flickered up to meet yours before hastily dropping back down to the items on the counter. “You really can’t get enough of this place.”

“It’s a real problem,” you told him, laughing self-consciously as he started to scan your things. “I really need to check my shopping list before I come.”

“You could always put it on your phone,” he suggested, eyes trained firmly on his task. “Not that I mind having you in here all of the time or anything.”

His words made you take pause. You didn’t want to be too full of yourself, but it almost seemed like he was implying something there. Before you could talk yourself out of the silly misunderstanding, he looked up at you with pink steadily creeping up his neck and a small, hesitant smile.

“I just thought that maybe it would be nice to see each other somewhere else sometime,” he continued, voice gradually getting softer until the end. “Like the movies or dinner...or something like that?” 

Whoa, blindsided.

It wasn’t like he was bad to look at or anything. Sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and tall enough that you had to look up at him. He seemed around your age so he was probably a student at the university (like nearly all the other young people in the area) although you didn’t remember ever seeing him around. That was all fine and good, but...

Despite coming to the store on the regular and seeing him there weekly, you had always been too focused on talking yourself out of asking for the whole store to go. You never took the time to ponder, consider, _think_ of the boy at all besides exchanging a friendly customer-associate smile when you accidentally made eye-contact and fretting over whether he was going to call crafters-anonymous on you. Even at that very moment as he was wearing his heart on his sleeve and you were left with no other option than to ruminate on him, it just wasn’t there.

You weren’t interested at all.

You felt bad about it, but that’s just how it was. Now you just had to open your mouth and put the right words in the right order to explain that. 

“I’m really flattered...” You took a quick peek at the laminated tag pinned to his chest, finding his name printed there. “ _Nolan_. You seem super nice, but I barely have time for myself these days, let alone anyone else, so I’m not really trying to date right now.” Which wasn’t really a lie. “But I appreciate the thought. Thank you.”

There. That wasn’t rude and didn’t beat around the bush. 

“Uh, no. I, um, totally get it.”

And he looked _totally_ crushed. 

There really was no good way to reject someone and usually it just left both parties feeling crappy. Part of you almost wished you found the guy a little interesting so it could have had a better outcome, but you couldn’t force your feelings. You were just figuring out how to politely flee the scene when he suddenly perked up.

“But! Maybe we could get our friends together and all hang out? As _friends._ ”

Oh no. So much for letting him down easy. Your mind started scrambling, desperately searching for something else to say, but what?

“Well…”

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be friends, but you had been there so many times before. They never really meant it when they said it after being turned down, they just wanted to use _friends_ as the prelude to something more. Now you were backed into a corner, caught somewhere between not wanting to hurt his feelings more than you already had and trying to be clear with your own.

“I…”

You had no freaking clue.

“Um, Nolan—” 

“Holy shit!” he suddenly yelped, cutting you off.

His outburst made you jump and your phone slipped from your hands, the hard plastic of the case clattering noisily on the speckled tiles. Where the hell had that come from? You shot a confused, concerned glance in his direction and were just about to reach down to grab the battered thing when you noticed the rapid change in his expression. All of the color had left his face and his eyes were two disks, focused on something behind you. You turned your head, surprised to find that someone had come up behind you while you had been talking and they had been nice enough to pick up your phone for you.

Their hand was extended for you to take it.

Normally you wouldn’t have hesitated and thanked the person for the small act of kindness, but there was no missing the fact that the hand clasped around the device was as pale as polished porcelain. It was clearly not skin but rather bone. Your eyes moved up from the offered hand, _all_ the way up, taking in the equally colorless skull, dark eye sockets, and a wide, toothy smile that towered over you. 

Skeleton.

You were staring at a seven-foot tall skeleton.

Just _staring._

“UM, EXCUSE ME, HUMAN.” His booming voice filled the room while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other and in a moment of surreal clarity you realized that you could hear the soft rasp of his bones sliding against one another. “I BELIEVE THIS CELL PHONE BELONGS TO YOU.”

It was hard, but you tore your gaze away from his face to look down at the phone in his outstretched hand. Hand bones? Finger bones? No, wait… _phalanges_ , some absurd part of your brain supplied _._ How that particular piece of information from your Human Anatomy Fundamentals class years ago made it through the total lockdown on your cognition was beyond you, but they were definitely phalanges.

It was indeed your phone in his phalanges and he was holding it out for you, so you figured you should probably take it back. Once it was in your possession, your eyes darted back up to his face and yep, he was definitely still a skeleton. It took another uncomfortably long stretch of time before you could remember how to make sounds leave your throat.

But thank goodness you remembered what phalanges were!

“...thank you.”

“YOU ARE VERY WELCOME.”

It was only then that you could process what he was wearing: a bright, neon orange track jacket that said: “Rad to the Bone” spelled out in tiny, white bones and matching running shorts. He even had on some tennis shoes to complete the sporty look. It was so strange and perfect that a laugh bubbled out of your chest, breaking through your shock.

“I really like your shirt,” you blurted out, unable to fully suppress your giggles.

He finally stopped fidgeting and he bared his teeth into an even broader smile somehow. The act had the potential to look intimidating, but something about his rounded cheekbones and the way his brow bones shot up high made it seem like a genuinely pleased expression. He grabbed it by the hem and pulled it away from his torso slightly to look down at it himself.

“IT IS VERY GREAT, ISN’T IT?! IT WAS MY BROTHER’S IDEA...BUT I MADE IT MYSELF!”

Discomforting height difference aside, he was kind of adorable.

Guilt started to gnaw at you for your initial reaction, eating up the rest of your laughter until you were left feeling even worse than before. Seeing monsters on TV or online for the last three years hadn’t really given their massive size justice or prepared you for the reality of how completely alien they looked from you. You had always sworn to yourself that you wouldn’t be rude if you ever met a one, that you would be better than that, but in the end, you had frozen up anyways.

Time to own up to your shittiness.

“I’m really sorry about before,” you started, your shame punctuating every syllable with a little waver. “I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been.”

Every news station had been reporting on it after all. The monsters had finally been granted the freedom to leave the reservation on their own just a few days ago. Before then all trips out of the valley had to be officially sanctioned and required a heavy military escort. Some of it was legalese while their citizenship was finalized, but mostly it was bigotry as the monsters’ safety became the biggest concern. The number of terrorist attacks on the reservation and the monsters in general were completely unprecedented in history, so it had taken a lot of cooperation from several government agencies until things calmed down enough to even consider it. Since the college town you lived in was so close to the reservation, you knew you’d see one sooner or later.

You also expected that you would have handled it better than you did.

“THAT IS QUITE ALRIGHT, HUMAN. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM VERY STEALTHY,” he said in that same cheerful tone, but you noticed that his smile had tightened ever so slightly. “AND THE QUEEN TOLD US THAT HUMANS WOULD STILL NEED MORE TIME TO GET USED TO US.”

Asshole alert! You were just another asshole in a sea of assholes!

Ever since the monsters had resurfaced, people couldn’t wait to squawk their opinions at the top of their lungs and jam them down every passerby’s throat. There was never a day that went by without hearing about the “monster agenda” or “monster invasion” as if they were doing something wrong by trying to make lives for themselves. Most people wanted them to go back under the mountain and stay there. 

Never mind that humans were the ones that trapped them there in the first place.

Any sort of positivity was few and far between. It was an actual running theory that they were literal demon spawn rising out of the depths of hell itself and the beginning of end times. Some even went so far as to speculate that they sacrificed virgins or stole small children when the cameras weren’t rolling. 

Despite all of the hate and backlash the monsters have received since their return, they had only done good things like build schools, share their technology, and have their leaders meet with government officials to try to keep the peace. You wouldn’t have been surprised or really blamed them if there had been some sort of retaliation from the monsters, but it never came. Every interview or press conference had shown nothing but patience, kindness, and hope for the opportunity to prove their intentions.

Actually, now that you were thinking about those…

“The Great Papyrus?” you asked, looking up at the skeleton closer than before. “The one from Twumblr and InstaTube and stuff?”

“OF COURSE. DO YOU KNOW OF A GREATER PAPYRUS THAN I?” he asked, perching his hands on hips and planting his legs far apart in a pose that was downright heroic. All he needed was a cape flowing majestically in the wind. How didn’t you recognize him sooner? “ARE YOU PERHAPS ONE OF MY MANY ADORING FANS?”

You wanted to laugh again, but then you realized that he was totally serious. Man, you wouldn’t have minded having his level of confidence. Although, he wasn’t wrong. Due to monsters being a hot-button issue and his own outgoing personality, he and a handful of other monsters probably had the most popular accounts out there. Papyrus, in particular, had amassed quite the following, yourself included.

So you introduced yourself as exactly that, an adoring fan.

“I follow all of your stuff! I can’t believe I didn’t realize it was you,” you continued, gushing a little bit. “Do you realize that you don’t look nearly this tall in your videos?”

“I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS AN IMPRESSIVE DIFFERENCE!”

“I tried doing that workout series you were making, but it was way too intense for me. Oh, and I used your tutorial on how to make a tulle skirt last Halloween. You made it super easy, so thanks.”

That wasn’t false flattery either. The way he and his monster friends exercised was something that no average human like yourself could ever pull off. You could still enjoy the crafting videos and his posts on monster issues without killing yourself though.

“WOW, A TRUE FAN! IT MUST BE SUCH AN HONOR FOR YOU TO MEET ME THEN!” he said happily, practically bouncing in place from his excitement. “YOUR INTERNET WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM OUR UNDERNET, BUT IT WAS NOTHING THAT I COULD NOT FIGURE OUT. I USED IT TO TALK TO HUMANS UNTIL WE COULD LEAVE THE RESERVATION. TODAY IS MY FIRST TIME OUT AND I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT THE FIRST NON-GOVERNMENT SURFACE HUMAN I’VE MET IS A FAN!”

Your heart sunk like a rock straight to the bottom of your stomach despite the happiness that seemed to be exploding out of him.

“Are you serious? I’m really the first regular human?”

“YUP!”

Horror crashed over you in waves, washing away any excitement you felt from meeting the popular monster until all that was left was the cold burn of self-revulsion.

“Oh my god...I can’t believe...I am so, so, _so_ sorry. You really don’t deserve that. I wish you would have met somehow who-who...I’m sorry...”

You ran out of words, looking up at him as if you could somehow express how truly horrible you felt with your eyes alone. Papyrus held your stare, cocking his head slightly to the side before his bony smile softened. 

“NO, I AM VERY GLAD THAT I MET YOU.”

You were at a loss for words. Why in the world would he be glad? You botched his first time ever off the reservation and— 

“U-um…”

The voice from the register almost seemed to startle you and Papyrus, both of your heads quickly whirling in that direction. Nolan was clutching the counter tightly with one hand and holding your bagged items in the other. You could see that his hands were visibly shaking and from the way Papyrus shrank back a step, so did he.

“D-did...you, uh, want to p-pay for your stuff?” Nolan asked timidly.

“Right, of course.”

You quickly swiped your card, approved the transaction, and took your bag from Nolan. He was looking at you with those same wide, terrified eyes. You hoped that your expression had at least been better than his and gave him a reassuring smile, but he couldn’t seem to make his mouth return it and his lips only twitched.

“Here you go,” you told Papyrus, hastily stepping back from the counter so he could take care of whatever he came there for.

“OH YES! I NEARLY FORGOT,” Papyrus said, stepping up to the counter and he pretended that he didn’t notice how Nolan flinched back. “HELLO THERE! I WAS WONDERING IF I MAY HANG A FLYER IN YOUR WINDOW! IT IS FOR A BRAND NEW MONSTER ESTABLISHMENT THAT WILL BE OPEN TO MONSTERS AND HUMANS ALIKE!”

Monsters and humans alike? That wasn’t something you heard every day and your curiosity was piqued. While most of the restrictions had been dropped from the monsters and the reservation, you hadn’t expected them to open their businesses to the public so quickly.

“S-sure, whatever you want.”

Nolan looked like he would have said anything to get Papyrus to go. 

“WOW, THAT WAS MUCH EASIER THAN I ANTICIPATED!” Papyrus spun on his heels and cupped his hands to his mouth as if he was trying to amplify his voice. You weren’t sure if it worked the same way with his skeletal hands or that his voice really needed any help carrying through the quiet store, but that didn't stop him. “SANS! THE HUMAN SAID WE COULD HANG UP THE FLYER!”

“cool, bro, i got ‘em right here.”

There was another smiling skeleton standing near the entrance. When in the world had he gotten there? You don’t know how you could have possibly not seen him there, but maybe he came in while you were talking or you just missed him because he was so much shorter than Papyrus. In fact, you seemed to have a few inches on him and he was unexpectedly stout for someone made of bones. His clothes were also starkly different, a pastel blue hoodie, black basketball shorts, and blue sneakers.

“WELL, DON’T BE A LAZY BONES AND HANG IT UP!”

“kinda need tape to do that.”

“WHAT? HOW COULD YOU FORGET THE TAPE?”

“i thought you had it.”

“DID YOU SEE ME WITH THE TAPE THIS WHOLE TIME?”

While you had been listening to the two skeletons go back and forth, Sans had also been paying attention to you. Unlike Papyrus, whose eye sockets were somewhat narrow and empty, Sans’ were larger and floating in the center was some kind of light, almost like pupils that he kept trailing back to you while he talked.

“i dunno, bro, i thought it was invisible tape,” he caught your eye again, winking one of his eye sockets closed somehow. It was so sudden, paired with the terrible joke, that it startled a snort out of you and his grin widened.

“NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR JOKES, BROTHER! HOW WILL WE HANG UP OUR FLYERS?”

“this really is an un-sticky situation.”

“WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?”

“it was an honest mis-tape, bro.”

Papyrus groaned, his bones clattering noisily as he buried his face in his hands and you had to choke back your laughter, but you didn’t quite manage to keep the grin off of your face. It was so wild. You were listening to two skeletons argue about tape and bad humor. If someone had told you this would be happening when you woke up that morning you would never have believed it.

Still fighting back giggles, you grabbed one of the packages of clear tape from a display next to the register that Papyrus had somehow overlooked and handed it to Nolan. He looked completely lost and mechanically went through the process of the purchase as if it was all he could do. You thanked him and then handed it over to Papyrus.

“OH! IT WAS SO CONVENIENT THAT OUR FIRST STOP WAS A CRAFT STORE,” Papyrus said, accepting it happily and he beamed at you. “THANK YOU SO MUCH. LET ME REPAY YOU.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” you told him, waving your hand dismissively. “I really am sorry for my crappy first impression...but I’m really glad that I got to meet you too.”

“OF COURSE YOU ARE AND I GRACIOUSLY ACCEPT YOUR APOLOGY,” he said, starting towards Sans and motioning for you to follow. “WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE VERY COOL FLYER THAT I MADE?”

“Oh...sure!”

As you joined them, he took one of the many papers from the stack Sans was holding to give to you and another to hang in the window. It was very simple, almost looking as if it was drawn in crayon, and seemed to depict some dancing stick figures and other squiggly shapes. In big, neat handwriting across the top it read: _ROCK BOTTOM: THE FIRST EVER MONSTER NIGHTCLUB_ , and at the bottom: _WHERE ANYONE, MONSTER OR HUMAN, CAN COME TO HAVE FUN! COMING SOON!_

“I EVEN DREW HUMANS AND MONSTERS DANCING TOGETHER!”

“This is so great.” 

You were mostly talking about the club. A place where monsters and humans could interact in a casual setting? And a nightclub of all things with music, dancing, and drinks? That sort of normality seemed so far off, yet the monsters were trying anyways. 

Now if you and the other humans could try even half as hard as they did.

When it came to the flyer, you could clearly see how much effort was put into it, but it didn’t send a very professional message. To be taken seriously you thought that they should probably consider going in a different direction….until Papyrus puffed out his chest (ribcage?) proudly, eye sockets actually _sparkling_ somehow even though there was nothing in there to do that and suddenly the drawing was the best thing you had ever seen in your whole life.

“You did a really good job, Papyrus. I’m sure it will get the club a lot of attention.”

“I COULDN’T AGREE MORE! AND WHILE I AM HERE I SHOULD GET SOME MORE DRAWING UTENSILS!”

Papyrus wandered towards some of the aisles in the back, but you could still easily make out the top of his skull over the shelves. Nolan had relaxed marginally, seeming to have finally accepted that neither of the skeletons were there to eat him, and he shot you a raised-brow look. You didn’t understand what he was getting at and before you could ask, Sans caught your attention by tilting his head in your direction ever so slightly while still keeping a noticeable distance between you.

“hey, thanks for the tape,” he said, softening his already low voice into a whisper and pulling the hand that wasn’t holding the stack of papers out of his pocket. “but i was just messin’ around.”

Right there was a brand new tape dispenser with the little, colorful tab on the end to indicate that it had just come out of the package. Papyrus had gotten so worked up while Sans actually had it the whole time. From their banter, you could only assume that was a fairly normal thing for the two of them and there was no holding in your surprised laughter that time.

“That is such a brother thing to do.”

He just grinned as he slipped the tape back into his pocket and when he withdrew his hand again he had a worn, black leather wallet instead. Then he stuffed the stack of papers under his arm, took a five dollar bill out and held it out to you between his pointer and middle phalanges, the gesture looking more than a little strange with how far away you were from one another.

When you didn't move to take it, he stretched his arm out a little further but kept his feet firmly planted in place. “lemme pay ya back since it was just a joke.”

You were already shaking your head before he got the whole sentence out. “Really, don’t worry about it. It was only like two bucks.” 

“ya sure?”

He cocked his head slightly to the side, the gesture so similar to the one his brother had made earlier.

“Yeah, absolutely. I can tell how excited he is to put them up, so it doesn't hurt to have some extra in case you run out.”

For a long moment you just looked at one another, his eye lights intent on your face. With every second that passed locked in the strange light of his gaze, your pulse spiked a little higher. Sans was quieter than his brother, so much stiller too, and unease roiled in your stomach as the moment stretched on far longer than the one between you and Papyrus. Most people didn’t just openly stare like that and most people weren’t skeletons either.

You didn't _want_ to think like that. 

Every rational, evolved part of your brain recoiled at the thought now that you were able to process it without panic fogging your cognition. Still, there was the instinctual, subconscious part of you that had been trained by a lifetime of ingrained cultural associations and pointed visual imagery, that same part that had frozen every muscle in your body moments before. It saw the bare skull, empty sockets, and skeletal grin, and whispered: scary, wrong, _dead_. It was telling you to be afraid at that very moment, telling you to run— 

“Besides I would just blow it on art supplies I don’t need, so at least it’s going towards something useful,” you started blabbing, shattering the silence before your thoughts could run away with themselves any more than they already had.

You refused to let your stupid human fear make an ass out of you again and hurt his feelings. He was obviously not dead, but very much alive and standing right there beside you. He may have been staring, sure, but only because he was trying to be nice and pay you back. He was still even smiling! In fact, now that you were looking at it…

He had dimples.

How bone could possibly dimple was totally beyond you, but there they were. Two small, crescent-shaped indents on each side of his toothy smile that looked as natural there as on any human face. The effect was astonishingly adorable, hushing the hysteria that had been rising to full tide in the back of your mind, and you felt your own lips curving to match.

“I swear, if you make me take it I'll just buy even more tape with it and give it to Papyrus. Or I can just borrow a piece from him and tape it to your fore...head...foreskull?”

He breathed out a quick huff of air that sounded suspiciously like a laugh before petering out.

“frontal bone,” he corrected lightly, amusement vibrating through the words.

“Oh, right. Well, I'll just tape it to your frontal bone then.”

He shook his head, chuckling quietly now, and stuffed the money back in his pocket, turning his head in the direction of where Papyrus was still browsing.

“well, thanks again,” he said. “paps really did work hard. he’s been looking forward to putting ‘em up all week.”

“I can definitely tell,” you told him. “I think people will be able to feel his enthusiasm and effort when they see them.”

“heh, yeah,” he said, his eye lights following the very tip of Papyrus’ skull that stuck out over the top of the shelves. “it’s kinda early for advertisin’, but he couldn’t wait. we’re not open yet so it’ll work until i can find someone else to make somethin’ a lil’ more official.”

It was one of those uncanny moments that made you wonder if fate was a real thing. You hesitated, warring back and forth with yourself. The worst he could do was say no, right? You took a deep breath, you really had needed a lot of those that day, and decided to throw it out there.

“Actually, I’m an artist myself. I’ve done some flyers and posters for a few local businesses and bands before,” you said. “If you want, I can give you my card?”

He looked away from Papyrus, his brow bones slowly creeping upwards on his face as he met your gaze. There was another stretch of time where he just looked at you. You were fairly sure that those lights in his sockets were like eyes and if you were right then he was maintaining some pretty intense eye contact. It still wasn’t the most comfortable thing, but your eyes immediately found his dimples there beside his broad smile and you couldn’t resist returning it. Somehow that helped with some of the awkwardness.

“sure, that’d be cool,” he finally said.

You fished the cards you always carried with you out of your wallet and handed one over to him. They were simple, with a small illustration under your name in bold letters one side while your information was on the other and splotches of color acted as a border around the trim. There were a few variations, all your own work, but this one had a little watercolor sunrise in deep oranges, reds, and yellows. It had your website URL, social media accounts, and work email listed, but no phone number since you preferred to handle your business all online.

“sweet,” Sans said, looking your card over for a few minutes before slipping it into his wallet.

Papyrus came back with a giant package of crayons, telling you that you had been right about his medium of choice for the flyers, a few coloring books, and a package of loose paper. Once he paid for everything, Papyrus asked for your information so he could keep in touch with you. He was very excited about having a new human friend apparently and you didn’t mind having a new skeleton friend either. He was still chatting with you as you all left the store together, giving Nolan a small wave, which he returned half-heartedly, and you walked with them as they hung up more flyers until you reached your car parked down the street.

You realized three things when you got home:

Firstly, you had forgotten that you needed two 20x20 canvases for school. What else was new?

Secondly, you had ascended to new levels of assholery by totally rejecting Nolan and then befriending Papyrus right in front of him. You had even given the skeleton your number and left the clerk standing there without a second thought. 

And lastly, there was a five dollar bill taped to your back. Your roommates had thought it was hilarious when they pointed it out to you. You just wanted to know how in the hell Sans managed to do that without you noticing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against monsters; reader is guilty of this too at first
> 
> If you want an excellent, completed post-pacifist, Sans/Reader story try [These are our days](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7244671/chapters/16447825si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
> by Rehlia. If you haven't read it already. It's probably one of the most clever, fleshed-out fanfics I've ever read. Slow burn. Lots of world building. Great writing. Honestly, it inspired me to finally post this after years of playing around with it.


	2. second impressions are a thing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans reflects on humans in general (and a tiny bit on you).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Sans was always impressed with how creatively humans could say, “fuck you.”

_“It’s nothing personal. We just don’t know what you are really capable of or what your intentions are and we have to consider the ramifications of your magic...”_

Fuck you for being different.

_“With the mutual welfare of humans and monsters in mind, we have decided that you will remain in the refugee camp on Ebott until we can ensure the safety of everyone…”_

Fuck you for getting free.

_“Excuse me, this is so embarrassing but my little girl just won’t stop crying. Could you cover up? Or maybe do your shopping at night when it’s not so busy? It would just make things easier for everyone...”_

Fuck you for coming here.

_“Were there any witnesses? CCTV footage? I’ve known that man my whole life. He’s a good guy, loves his family, goes to church every Sunday. He says it was self-defense and I believe him…”_

Fuck you for being attacked.

No matter how carefully they arranged the words or if they put on their most oblivious faces, it all translated the same anyways. He was getting so sick of hearing it honestly, but they just kept on coming as the years crept by.

The most recent:

 

> **distribution@BestBrewsCo.com**
> 
> _SUBJECT: Rock Bottom Solicitation_
> 
>  
> 
> _Dear Sans Fontanelles,_
> 
> _We would first like to thank you for your interest in BestBrews Co. We always appreciate being considered to provide our award-winning brews to hopeful upstarts. Unfortunately, we are not taking on any new clients at this time. If in the future we…_

Just like every other vendor he’d tried to get for the club. They never came right out and said it was because he was a monster. Humans usually didn’t say exactly what they meant, but Sans was used to reading between the lines by now and it started to be obvious after every single email sang the same tune. The phone calls probably would too if he ever got any back. He had no clue how he was going to get any humans to come to Rock Bottom if there wasn’t anything they could drink there.

He didn’t know why he was even bothering. He really doubted that any humans would go in the first place. It was probably better that way—

“WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING AWAKE?”

Train of thought derailed, Sans looked up from where he was stretched out across the couch and reading emails on his phone to see Paps coming down the stairs.

“just wonderin’ where the flood is.”

He couldn’t help but point out the old pair of pajamas that his brother continued to wear, years after he had outgrown them. The print had faded from being in the wash too many times until the little dinosaur skeletons just looked like off-white, black striped blobs and the shirt might have worked as a crop top, but the pants came almost all the way up to his patellas.

“I LIKE THEM LIKE THIS!”

“why won’t you let me throw those out? i know you have a ton that actually fit and you never wear ‘em.”

“YOU LEAVE MY DINO JAMMIES ALONE!” He came and plopped down on the couch at his feet, yawned, and then peered at him with a concerned curve to his eye sockets. “NOW STOP DEFLECTING AND TELL ME WHY YOU AREN’T SLEEPING?”

He’d much rather pick on the jammies, thank you very much.

“‘m just workin’ on some stuff for the club,” Sans said, looking back at his phone. “why are you up?”

Ever since they came to the surface Paps insisted that he didn’t need bedtime stories anymore because he was “A GROWN SKELEMAN.” Sans had laughed for three days straight and only cried a little. Still, Paps usually crashed pretty early and it was weird to see him moving up and about so close to midnight.

“I FORGOT TO TURN MY PHONE ON SILENT AND MY COOL NEW FRIEND MESSAGED ME BACK,” he said. “SHE GOT OFF WORK VERY LATE TONIGHT AND APOLOGIZED FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO RESPOND SOONER. SHE IS VERY NICE.”

“what new friend?”

“THE HUMAN WE MET LAST WEEK!”

Sans paused in reading the rest of the email.

“ya mean the same human that was scared of you at the craft store?”

“THAT VERY ONE! WE TALK EVERY DAY!” Paps said cheerfully. “I REALLY DIDN’T EXPECT IT AFTER HOW SHE WAS AT FIRST, BUT SHE’S MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT SHE IS SO SORRY FOR THAT.”

“oh yeah?”

“YES, SHE APOLOGIZED A LOT AND I CAN TELL THAT SHE MEANS IT. SINCE THEN WE’VE BEEN GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER BETTER AND SHE’S BEEN TEACHING ME NEW THINGS!”

That sounded all kinds of sketchy.

“what sorta things?”

Paps held out his phone for him to see the most recent messages and scrolled slowly through him.

> **— 7:18 PM**
> 
> _LOOK AT MY COOL NEW DRAWING!_ 💀

> **— 7:18 PM**
> 
> _[attached image]_

> **ART BUDDY 11:43 PM:**
> 
> _I just got off work! Someone had to leave early so I had to stay.  :(_    _Sorry it took so long to get back you. Let me look at it now._

> **ART BUDDY 11:44 PM:**
> 
> _I love it! The colors are so good. You’ve been following those videos we were talking about, haven’t you?_

> **— 11:47 PM**
> 
> _YES, I HAVE! I DID NOT KNOW THAT COLORS WERE SO COMPLICATED BUT FEAR NOT. I WILL MASTER THEM!_

> **ART BUDDY 11:53 PM:**
> 
> _To be totally honest, I have a lot of trouble with color theory too. I always forget to keep it in mind when I’m working on something._

“SEE? SHE’S FUN TO TALK TO!”

Well, that wasn’t bad necessarily, but Sans still didn’t care all too much for it. He had only added you online himself because his brother had and he wanted to keep an eye on any humans that actually lingered. You might have apologized for the way you acted, bought them the tape, and acted friendly with Paps, but why? What did you really want?

All the humans that had tried to “befriend” Paps so far had their own motivations, usually business and publicity offers. They were all dying for a monster mascot to market their brands like they were animals or something. It wasn’t really a secret that most humans couldn’t tell the difference.

“SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT YOU TOO.”

“did she?” he asked, even though he was pretty sure he knew what it was about.

“SOMETHING ABOUT FIVE BUCKS ON HER BACK? I’M NOT SURE WHAT THAT MEANS, PROBABLY SOME STRANGE HUMAN EXPRESSION, BUT SHE THINKS YOU’RE FUNNY FOR SOME REASON.” Paps shook his skull, ribcage heaving with a sigh. “THAT’S HER ONLY FAULT SO FAR SO I GUESS WE CAN STILL BE FRIENDS.”

Bingo. Sans grinned a little as he remembered sticking the five dollars onto your back just as you all were leaving the craft store together. You didn’t feel a thing and walked all the way down the street without noticing. It took everything he had not to die laughing as you left, totally clueless. He wondered how long it took for you to realize it was there?

As perfectly as that little trick worked out, it was mostly so he didn’t feel like he owed you. Nothing good could have come from being indebted to a human, no matter how nice they decided to be for that moment. On the surface, kindness was a fickle commodity rather than a trait he could depend on. So you might not have had bad intentions that day, but that didn’t mean you still didn’t.

“ya sure you should be getting so friendly?” Sans asked. “i mean, she seems okay and all but she’s still a human.”

Paps’ mandible curved downwards, frowning at him from across the couch. Sans wanted to feel bad, he really did, but three years of it had worn away any possibility of him mustering up an ounce of guilt. How Paps was still looking on the bright side of things was something he couldn’t understand. Admirable, sure maybe, but a total waste of time and energy.

“look, all i’m sayin’ is that if she starts askin’ ya to make public appearances or whatever, cut her off, okay?” he asked.

“SHE HASN’T TRIED TO DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT!”

_Yet._

Sans’ lack of response rang loud and clear to his brother. Paps did something else on his phone and held it up for him to see.

“LOOK! SHE EVEN MADE A BANNER FOR MY PROFILE!”

Sans looked at it. It was an image that ran across the top of Paps’ profile, honestly Sans wasn’t sure what his own was or if he ever even set one, but Paps’ was bright and eye-catching. The background was light blue with a bunch of several, small cartoon drawings of his skull posed in different expressions and every now and again there was someone that Paps’ knew. Friends and family, himself included. Then above it were the words “THE GREAT PAPYRUS” in orange, bold papyrus text.

“did you give her pictures of us or somethin’?” Sans asked, feeling really disturbed as he looked at the little, smiling him on there.

“OF COURSE!”

“that’s weird.”

“WE’VE ALL BEEN ON TV ANYWAYS!”

Paps wasn’t wrong, but still. Sans really didn’t like the idea of some human having pictures of him or anyone else in their family. Or sitting there and drawing his face either. Ugh.

“really freaking weird.”

“BUT SHE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB, RIGHT?”

Sans reluctantly looked at the banner again, trying to shove as much bias as he could aside. He wasn’t getting rid of all of it because the little him still creeped him the hell out, but enough. He had to admit that you really nailed the likenesses and it suited Paps really well.

“i guess. how much did that run ya?”

“NOTHING!”

Sans looked up at him in surprise, “what?”

“SHE SAID THAT SHE COULDN’T LET ME PAY FOR IT BECAUSE I SHARED A FEW OF HER OTHER DRAWINGS AND THAT HELPED HER OUT A LOT. I GUESS SOME OF MY FOLLOWERS STARTED ASKING HER TO MAKE THEM THINGS TOO!”

There it was. Publicity. Of course, you had even given him your card that day at the craft store. He should have assumed that right from the start.

“oh yeah?” he asked flatly. “when’d she ask ya to do that? the first day?”

Paps looked triumphant, beaming at him.

“SHE DIDN’T! I JUST REALLY LIKED THEM!” he said. “REALLY, SANS, I KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IS AN APPLE-POLISHER BY NOW AND YOU SHOULDN’T BE SO SKEPTICAL! IF YOU DON’T EVER GIVE HUMANS A CHANCE THEN YOU CAN’T EXPECT THEM TO GIVE YOU ONE EITHER. WHERE WOULD WE BE THEN?”

“i hear ya, bro, i do, but haven’t we been burned enough? i mean, at some point we gotta learn the lesson and accept that some people don’t deserve chances.”

“HOW WILL YOU EVER KNOW WHO DOES AND DOESN’T DESERVE CHANCES UNLESS YOU LET THEM PROVE THEMSELVES? I WOULD RATHER BE BURNED A MILLION TIMES THAN TO TURN MY BACK ON SOMEONE THAT COULD BECOME A FRIEND.”

Sans wanted to disagree, wanted to tell him how many things could have gone differently had he gone with his gut instead of waiting for people to show their true colors. But Paps was looking at him with so much enthusiasm, so much hope, and he didn’t have the soul to do it.

“yeah, i guess so.”

“BESIDES, I SAW THE WAY YOU WERE LOOKING AT HER!”

Sans felt his skull heat up at the knowing look Paps gave him. Why did he have to go and be a grown skeleman? A little babybones was so much easier to deal with.

“i wasn’t gawkin’ at her or nothin’.”

Was he? No, he didn’t think so. He hoped not at least.

“NO, BUT YOU NOTICED!”

“just cuz she’s got a nice feature or two that doesn’t mean she’s a good person, bro.”

“VERY TRUE! YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT’S COVER! YOU TAUGHT ME THAT, REMEMBER?”

Man, totally  _own’d_. He didn’t have an argument because that was something he used to say a lifetime ago when he still thought optimism was worth the effort. When he just wanted to teach his little brother to be confident and kind, an all-around better monster than him, but now he was just too good for his own good. Paps gave him the fullest smile, shoulders and skull held high, as he stood up.

“ALRIGHT! BACK TO BED FOR ME! YOU SHOULD ALSO GET SOME REST SOON. YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD LATELY. I'M PROUD OF YOU!”

“gee, thanks, paps. that means a lot comin’ from you.”

“NYEH, NYEH, NYEH! OF COURSE IT DOES! GOODNIGHT, BROTHER!”

“night.”

Sans laid there as Paps grabbed something from the kitchen, headed back upstairs, and softly shut his door behind him. What his brother had said was still sitting unwanted in his head. That sentiment was nice and all and he was proud that those were the principles Paps stood by, but it was supposed to go both ways. The ratio of humans that were worth their grain of salt and the ones that wanted to shove them back in the ground didn’t exactly inspire much faith.

That was fine, he could be pragmatic for the both of them.

He checked his email again and sighed. He didn’t know why he did, it wasn’t like he was expecting a different response or another company to email him so late at night. He just needed one of them to take a chance on Rock Bottom. Just one.

Maybe if they got some positive exposure...

He closed the email app and opened up Snapbook. He couldn’t remember your name so he went to his recent friends. He didn’t add too many people so you were conveniently the last one. He was terrible with human faces and there were four people squeezed into your profile picture for some reason, but Paps was totally right.

You easily stood out from the others.

But that’s not why he went looking for you. He scrolled hastily away from the photo, looking over some of your posts. Every now and again there was a personal one, usually a photo of you with the same people from your profile photo, but mostly it was artwork. Now that he wasn’t looking at a miniature, unsolicited portrait of himself, he could appreciate it a little better.

You really were pretty good. A lot of it was digital, but there were some sketches and paintings too. He thought of the card you gave him and wondered if you did that one yourself too. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket, dug through the dozens of rewards cards he had somehow accumulated since they’ve been up top, and found it.

It was just a little orange sun, peeking over a thin horizon line. He wasn’t exactly a sun expert, but if he had to guess it was rising because the small sky was dark blue, almost black, at the edges and gradually lightening as it neared the bottom. Actually, now that he was really looking at it, he thought he could maybe make out the impression of something in the darkness that he hadn’t caught the first time. It wasn’t blatant or anything, but the slightest smattering of lighter specks of color gave the suggestion of more.

Hmm.

He went back to your Snapbook, clicked on your photos, and quickly swiped through them. There were more pictures of just your distracting face as he started getting into the older ones and several times he had to remind himself that he was doing something else.  _Finally,_ he found the one he was looking for.

It was a bigger version of the one on the card and the caption confirmed it to be a sunrise. The colors were a little brighter and it was more detailed, clearly a better resolution than the small print allowed. He pinched his phalanges over it and zoomed into the darker edges of the image. Sure enough, there was a subtle, distant sea of stars, fading out as the light of day filled the sky. You had even taken the time to include little constellations, like Orion and the Dippers, that were ever so slightly brighter than the others. It wasn’t accurate, they weren’t really that close together, but…

He could dig it.

Maybe Paps’ words were just getting to him or maybe he was just desperate for something to work, but he was starting to hope that maybe he was wrong about you after all. At the very least you were willing to work with them. He checked your email address on the card, took another long look at the stars again, and shrugged.

It was worth a shot.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _hey, this is sans. were you still wanting to do the flyer for the club?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against monsters; prejudice against humans; references to attacks
> 
> Whoo! Second chapter already!
> 
> Heads up: Sans' POVs will be sporadic throughout the story rather than alternating every other chapter. They will also usually be shorter.
> 
> Comments and thoughts are much encouraged. I always love to hear what you guys are thinking. <3


	3. You Didn't Ask For This But You'll Take It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting a little out of hand, but you're going to make it work. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Will be updated with new music with each chapter)

A week passed by since the craft store encounter and things had taken a sharp nosedive. Your Cintiq, a very expensive drawing tablet, had helpfully crapped out on you just in time for the warranty to run out. So with no other options, you were forced to go back to using your old Intuos for digital art. It thankfully still worked just fine, but you had gotten used to the big, fancy screen and the transition had slowed your whole process down quite a bit. Needless to say, you were more than a little crabby.

It took two skeletons to turn your mood around.

Papyrus added you on every social media account you had, invited you to some you didn’t, and posted a very sweet tweet about finding a new human friend the day you met. Surprisingly enough, Sans had added you too, though he only ever seemed to get on occasionally in the middle of the night and even then it was only to share some of Papyrus’ posts, clips of stand up comedy routines, and memes. For someone so inactive and that had an uncomfortably close up screenshot of Owen Wilson’s face with a small “wow” over it for a profile picture, he had a lot of followers too.

> **TheOneAndOnly 10:47 AM:**
> 
> _I WISH HE WOULD CHANGE IT! EVER SINCE MY BROTHER DISCOVERED “MEMES” HE HAS PLAGUED MY INBOXES WITH THEM. I DO NOT GET WHY HE FINDS THEM SO HILARIOUS._

> **— 11:51 AM:**
> 
> _[[attached image](https://me.me/i/wow-sloth-party-wow-ft-owen-wilson-o-18-1-28-11299607)] _

> **TheOneAndOnly 10:48 AM:**
> 
> _OH NO! NOT YOU TOO!_

For some reason, Papyrus only typed in all caps, which you had thought was just a gimmick for his social media accounts but he did it even when he was just talking to you and it was oddly fitting for him. From there you and Papyrus ended up talking or snapping each other regularly throughout the day. There were always a generous amount of selfies, he loved the filters even though some of them really didn’t work as well on his skull as he would have liked, but he also sent photos of his friends and whatever else he was getting into that day.

The most memorable one was of his friend, a blue fish monster he called Undyne and him racing some kids in shopping carts around a parking lot. Then somehow by the end he had ended up in one too. You weren’t quite sure how he managed to fit himself in there, but the sight of his long bony legs dangling out of the sides and their loud, joyous laughter as he tried to stay seated while she sped him around was funny.

Interestingly enough, you also recognized one of the kids as the monster’s ambassador.

It wasn’t really a surprise that Papyrus knew them. Especially after you realized that aside from the fun shenanigans he got into on a daily basis, he also was very outspoken about monster affairs and gave his opinion on whatever news stories were circulating at the time. The figureheads of the monsters didn’t seem to have their own social media accounts, so Papyrus often relayed messages from the king and queen directly, so it was of no surprise that he was so widely followed.

It didn’t take you long to notice the effects on your newfound friendship.

When he first started sharing and commenting on your posted art, your profile and website traffic tripled overnight. Then he asked you to make him a header to go at the top of his pages, which you refused to let him pay for since he had already been getting your stuff so much attention. And you might have still felt a little (a lot) guilty for your terrible first impression.

What he wanted for the banner was something that expressed his “OBVIOUS GREATNESS” and handsome features, while also including his esteemed friends. What you ended up making was a bunch of smaller drawings of his face with varying expressions and angles to fully capture all of his good sides, spread across a light blue background, with the occasional face of one of his friends and family thrown in there, and “THE GREAT PAPYRUS” in orange papyrus font, of course. You were able to get it to him quickly and he posted it right away, crediting you as the artist, even though you didn’t ask him to, and singing praises about how much he loved it.

Your inboxes _exploded_.

You had never gotten so much interest in all the years you’d been trying to pursue art professionally. You couldn’t keep up, trying to sort through and answer the messages as quickly as you could but more came in before you could catch up. There was a lot of hate mail in there too, usually accusing you of using your talent to serve evil or whatever, but you didn’t hesitate to delete those ones. Screw those guys.

Amidst all of that, you still had to juggle school and work. You had gotten off particularly late one night and it was almost midnight by the time you finally pulled into your driveway. You wanted nothing more than to crash for the night, but the emails really were piling up to an unmanageable point. With a groan, you collapsed back onto your bed and pulled your laptop into your lap. Hopefully, you could knock enough of them out and sleep peacefully.

Before you could get too much further in your task, you got another message from Papyrus. He had started drawing more since you had been talking and you pointed him in the direction of some very helpful video tutorials that you had learned a lot from. He loved showing you his progress and he had already improved in a short amount of time. With his level of dedication, it was no surprise.

> **The One And Only 12:11 AM:**
> 
> _THANKS FOR BEING MY VERY COOL FRIEND AND TEACHING ME ALL OF THESE NEW THINGS!_

> **— 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _Aw, no thanks needed. I’m glad to have you as a friend and you’re helping me a lot too. I needed refreshers on a ton of things._

> **The One And Only 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _I AM GLAD OUR FRIENDSHIP IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL THEN! NOW, I MUST GET SOME REST OR I WILL LOSE TOUCH WITH MY MUSE._

> **The One And Only 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _AT LEAST THAT’S WHAT THAT ONE POST SAID._

> **The One And Only 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _...WHAT’S A MUSE?_

> **— 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _It’s like your inspiration. It helps you be creative._

> **The One And Only 12:12 AM:**
> 
> _OH NO! I DO NOT WANT TO LOSE TOUCH THEN! GOODNIGHT!_

You laughed, quickly telling him goodnight and putting your phone down to get back to work. You had only been at it for a few more moments when you heard footsteps on the stairs. You looked up in surprise, not expecting any of your roommates to be awake at that time or be down in the basement, which was exclusively yours per your lease agreement. Still, there was a knock on the door anyways.

“Hey, you still awake?” Chad’s voice called out.

“Yeah, come in.” You sat up a little further on the bed, wanting to spare him the sight of the unavoidable double chin you got from smooshing yourself back against the headboard.

He opened the door and had to duck through the short doorframe. The smell of cheese and salty tortilla chips immediately hit you. He had queso!

“Gimme, gimme,” you said excitedly, flapping your hands in a grabby motion in the air.

“Figured you’d be down,” he said with a laugh.

He plopped down at the foot of the bed and set the plate between you. You didn’t hesitate to inhale some as fast your mouth would let you, appreciating the warm, gooey, savory surprise. You had been so swamped at work earlier that you _may_ have worked through your lunch break. Oops.

“You have impeccably perfect timing,” you told him between bites. “What are you still doing up?”

“Playing Overwatch with the guys,” he said. “I was just logging off when I heard you pull up.”

“Aw, you made the queso just for me?”

“Hell no. We’re sharing.” He scooped some up as if to prove a point and nodded to your laptop. “What are you doing?”

“Just going through some business emails,” you said with a sigh. “I don’t remember if I was telling you or Amber, but I’ve been getting blown up since Papyrus started sharing my stuff.”

“Papyrus?” Chad looked confused, so it had definitely been Amber you had been telling.

“He’s a skeleton monster. I met him at the craft store last week and we’ve been keeping in touch. He shared some of my stuff online and now my business account is flooded with people wanting to commission me.”

“Wow, that’s...awesome.” Chad’s tone didn’t sound totally awesome though. In fact, he sounded concerned. “A skeleton monster?”

“Yeah! The Great Papyrus! I know I’ve shown you some of his videos before. I never expected to actually meet him. He’s crazy popular online, so it got me a lot of attention.”

“Hmm, that’s cool.” He was quiet for a moment as he shoved a mouthful of chips and cheese into his mouth. “Isn’t that...weird?”

You didn’t really have to clarify what he was asking about.

“Well, yeah, a little.” You could feel your cheeks heat up as you thought of your initial reaction all over again. “Not in a bad way, it just took some getting used to. I totally froze up on him at first because I was so taken back. The last thing I expected to see behind me was a seven-foot-tall skeleton, you know?”

“Seven-foot?” Chad’s eyes bugged out of his face for a second. “Holy shit.”

“Yeah, it’s not often I find someone taller than you. Some monsters are really huge,” you said and that reminded you of the other skeleton you met that day. “You know what’s really strange though? Papyrus’ brother, Sans, is even shorter than me. It’s such a drastic difference for siblings.”

“You met _two_ skeletons? That’s so crazy.” He shook his head, seeming totally blown away. “Now that they can leave the reservation whenever they want it’s going to feel like Halloween every day.”

“I don’t think so,” you refuted lightly. “I don’t have any room to talk since I freaked out at first, but they’re really not creepy at all. Once I made myself get over it, it stopped being weird almost right away.”

He looked thoughtful. “What were they like?”

“Like anyone else, I guess?” You shrugged. “Papyrus is an absolute sweetheart and Sans is…funny?”

“You don’t really sound sure about that.”

Your thoughts immediately went to the five dollar bill from the other day, still sitting unspent in your wallet. That stubborn little sneak. If you ever saw him again it would take all of your self-restraint not to just stick the damn thing to his face.

“Well, he made _me_ laugh.”

“So he’s not funny at all,” Chad said dryly. “So you talk to him too?”

“Rude! But no, not really—”  

A notification popped up in the bottom corner of your screen, immediately drawing your eyes to it and sidetracking you briefly. Another email had come in, unexpected for the late hour but not totally unusual. You were going to ignore it for the moment but the subject line caught your attention: _rock bottom_.

Rock Bottom had been the name of the monster nightclub, right? You had almost forgotten about giving Sans your card. You opened it to read the contents.

“This is so weird. He just emailed me on my business account.”

“The skeleton? What about?” he asked.

“Yeah, Sans. He wants a flyer for a monster nightclub.”

“A monster nightclub?”

“Yeah, he’s opening one. The first one ever, apparently. It’s going to be open to humans too.” You flipped your laptop around to show him and Chad scooted closer to read it.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _hey, this is sans. were you still wanting to do the flyer for the club?_

And that was it.

“Why is he typing like that?”

“I don’t know. His brother types in all caps too.”

“Is that like a monster thing?”

“I’m not really sure. I never asked. It seemed rude to. But honestly, I didn’t expect him to contact me when I gave him my business card.”

“Well, maybe he saw some of your stuff when his brother shared it?”

“Yeah, maybe…”

You didn’t think you would ever complain about having too many people interested in your art, but you were starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the sudden flood. Not to mention that your Cintiq was out for the count. Maybe with all of the new business, you could dip into your savings and finally upgrade to the bigger model you’d been drooling over for awhile?

You could hear your bank account crying now.

“Are you going to do it?” he asked.

“Of course,” you said without hesitation, despite the weariness that washed through you at the thought of adding more to your workload. “I never would have had any of these opportunities if I hadn’t met them that day. It’s the very least I can do.”

“Are you sure? You’ve picked up more hours at the store too.”

“Yeah, absolutely. If I don’t need to work the extra shifts, then I won’t.”

The look he gave you made it clear that he didn’t buy that for a second.

“Don’t work yourself to death, okay?” Chad said, putting a hand on your shoulder and giving you a small smile.

“No promises.”

He squeezed your shoulder one more time before standing up and grabbing the empty plate. When did that happen? Forget magical monsters, the magic of disappearing queso and chips was much more mysterious.

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to it. Let me know if you need anything. Night.”

“Niiight.”

Chad closed the door behind him and you slumped back into your comfortable, but totally not back health conscious position to respond to Sans’ email.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Hello,_
> 
> _Thank you so much for taking my card and reaching out to me. I would absolutely love to do the flyer for the club. Is there anything in particular you have in mind and do you know what size you were interested in? I am able to do everything from DL to A0. Also, if you could attach an example of the club’s logo for reference, I would appreciate it._
> 
> _Thank you again_

It might have come off a little stiff in comparison to his email, but it _was_ your business account. You were so glad that you had invested in your own domain name so you could keep your personal email address personal. Having at least one inbox that wasn’t full-to-bursting gave the illusion that you were actually managing the situation. You had barely gotten through the next email when a new notification popped up in the corner, alerting you that Sans had already responded.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _cool. there's no logo and the flyer doesn’t have to be anything fancy. something like the name real big somewhere, the opening time, and people dancing. something about how it's for monsters and humans would probably be good too. i guess something that’s a little bigger than the paper paps used would be good._

That honestly wasn’t a whole lot to go off of. Especially with no logo. And you were distracted by the way he typed, it totally clashing with everything you’ve ever learned about proper business etiquette. In the same way that Papyrus preferred constant capitalization at all times, Sans seemed to be just as dedicated to lowercase. Why? Whatever, you decided to be a little more laid-back in your reply so it wasn’t so glaringly different from his.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Okay, so an A3 (_ _11.69 x 16.53 inches)_ _or an A2 (_ _16.53 x 23.39 inches)_ _might be the size you’re looking for. Do either of those sound about right? Also, does Rock Bottom have a theme or anything that I could tie into the flyer?_

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _i guess a3 sounds good and not really. but there’s going to be a lot of lights if that helps._

No, not really. You thought about it for a little while, tossing some quick ideas around before you replied.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _So what about going with Papyrus’ flyer idea of the standard dance floor scene? Bright, fun colors for the lights and the silhouettes of some dancers in the foreground. There can be a mix of monster and human silhouettes to highlight the club’s inclusiveness. Name and brief message welcoming both humans and monsters at the top. Details on the bottom._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _that sounds good. but i actually thought of something. it’s not really a theme but there are some rocks too._

That was way too vague. Rocks? Like rocks just sitting on the ground or what?

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _What sort of rocks exactly?_

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _the kind made out of stone. lol_

Oh my god. Why was he so ridiculous and why were you laughing? Just as you were trying to figure out how to respond to that in a somewhat professional manner, another one came in from him.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _like a cave. kinda nostalgic for the monsters and gimmicky for the humans. no offense._

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _No offense taken, you’re pretty spot on. That explains the name too._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _yeah. figured i might as well make people get creative when they try to rag on it._

That was an interesting way to look at it. Sans clearly wasn’t naive to the fact that the club was going to get dragged through the mud as soon as the media got their hands on it and what else could you say about a place that had already labeled itself as the lowest of the low? The way he decided to just embrace it was sort of inspiring, honestly.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _I really admire that outlook. I can definitely incorporate some cave vibes into the flyer. Maybe I could have some stalactites hanging down from the ceiling or have some rock walls surrounding the dance floor? Honestly, it sounds like rocks are kind of your theme._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _think so? and awesome. whatever looks best._

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _That’s just what I got from what you’ve told me so far. Anyways, I’ll make up a rough sketch and send it to you so you can decide if you want to change anything. The whole no logo part is bothering me though. Is there one in development?_

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _sweet and no. why? do you think there should be one?_

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Yes, I do. One of the biggest things they stress in any advertising class is how important it is to create a brand for a business so it's immediately recognizable to your current and potential customers. If you have an eye-catching logo right from the beginning, it will probably make any future advertising easier since you’ll already have a base to work with and hopefully if it’s done well, they’ll know exactly who the advertisement is for at a glance. Like how almost everyone knows the golden arches mean WacDonald’s and people might not watch the rest of the commercial or read the whole billboard, but because their brand is instantly recognizable they get their point across anyways._
> 
> _That’s just my two cents though. Every business is different and it’s totally up to you to decide if that’s something that you think would work for Rock Bottom. Please don’t feel like I’m trying to tell you what to do._

You hoped that didn’t make you sound like a know-it-all. You definitely weren’t a business expert by any means, but you were very familiar with the graphic design part of it by now. A monster-owned business was already going to start out at a disadvantage and if there was some way you could help then, of course, you were going to at least try.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _nah, i appreciate the info. you seem to really know your stuff. any ideas?_

That was a much more positive response than you expected. Normally clients weren’t so fond of unsolicited advice, but Sans seemed to be more than fine with it.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Well, it could be really simple. Like in front of the name you could maybe do a tall shooter glass or bottle and at the bottom it could look like the rocky ocean floor or have rocks sitting in the bottom of it. Then on the flyers you could say something like,“Hit Rock Bottom this weekend in Ebott Valley.” Maybe that’s a bad idea. I might need to think on that a little more._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _wait. no. i like that. it’s hilarious. you should draw that up and send it to me too._

You couldn’t help but snort at that. From what you’d seen of his terrible sense of humor so far, it really was no surprise that he liked the silly idea. Never mind that you just added two more projects to your already swamped workload. At least the logo would be fun and you were more than glad to help. The club really was too cool of a concept and if it took off, it could only be a good thing for everyone.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _If you’re sure, I’ll have those to you as soon as possible._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _i’m sure. that logo is the best idea ever. thanks. i saw the rate for flyers on your website, but you didn’t have anything about logos. whatever it is, i can pay for that too._

That was because you’d never been commissioned for a logo before. You had designed them before, of course, but only practice ones in class. Hopefully, it would turn out alright anyways.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _No need, really. Thanks to Papyrus I have plenty of work to keep me busy for awhile, so you guys have done more than enough for me. Consider it my thanks for that._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _i can’t just not pay you for your time. i wouldn’t feel right about that._

Huh. Most people wouldn’t even hesitate to jump on something free. Not that you were going to complain about a client willingly paying you instead of the majority trying to trick you into just giving them your art, haggling for a cheaper price, arguing about the deposit, or just being all around difficult.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Thank you. I appreciate that a lot. I’ll give you the friends and family discount though! If you think of anything else you would like to add or have any questions, let me know. I’ll have the sketches to you tomorrow sometime. Oh yeah, does the club have any social media accounts that I can promote?_

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _no, not really._

You had expected that. After seeing how sporadically Sans messed with his personal pages, it probably hadn’t occurred to him to use them to his advantage. You wondered if you should tell him how he could do that or would that be too much? You contemplated it for a few moments and then shrugged, deciding that if he didn’t like it then he could just not do it.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Again this is just my opinion, but you may want to consider making them. These days having an online presence can really help get some much-needed attention when you’re first starting out. Having a logo would help with that too since it can be used as your profile photo and it’ll be the first thing people see when they click on the page. One post from Papyrus and the place will probably be packed for months. If you’re trying to draw the college crowd, then I can also send them to the unofficial campus pages to see if they’ll share them too. They probably will since it’s close by and college kids are always looking for new places to hang out._

There, hopefully that wasn’t too pushy.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _i didn’t think of that. stuff underground was a lot simpler since everybody already knew everybody and went to all the same places. maybe i should look into that._

Wow, he took that well too. Sans was so freaking chill.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _I’d be happy to help you set them up once we get the logo and flyer sorted out. Anyways, I have to get back to work, but please don’t hesitate to reach out about any other questions or thoughts you have. Thanks again for letting me work with you on such a fun project._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _gee, pal, good thing you gave me your card. you’re a huge help. i’ll message you if i think of anything else. thanks._

You read over the back and forth emails, laughing to yourself as they read more like friendly texts than work emails. Apart from you getting into your soapboxes anyways. It was really hard to stay professional with the way that Sans typed. You automatically found yourself slipping into a more casual way of talking too, but thankfully Sans seemed okay with that.

Happy with how everything was coming along, you were able to clear most of your inbox, accepting as many commissions as you realistically could, telling some interested parties that you would love to add them to your waitlist, and flat-out declining some really strange ones. You weren’t going to kink shame people, but you were _not_ going to draw Papyrus that way and skeletons didn’t have anything going on down there anyways.

...did they?

Damn it, why was that the last thing you had to think about before bed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and as always your thoughts are more than welcome! <3
> 
> P.S. Don't undersell yourself. Your time and talents are too valuable for that.
> 
> **EDIT: I went back to change the format of the texts/emails in chapters 2 and 3 to separate them from the regular text. They'll be like that from now on.


	4. Reservations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You finally go to the reservation to find out what all of the fuss is about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

You really should have appreciated how many hours of sleep you managed to snag the night Sans first emailed you because you soon found out that it was the last decent sleep you would be getting for awhile.

While you balanced your day job and school, you still had to choose which commissions took precedence among the ever-growing requests. Some of which included a few other well-known monster InstaTubers reaching out to you about making banners for them as well, just adding more to the pile. Your roommates were disappointed that you weren’t really available to hang out, but happy for you and understood that you couldn’t pass up the opportunities that had fallen into your lap. Then once the logo that Sans liked so much and the flyer were done, things sort of escalated.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _so i’ve been thinking about what you said about rocks being a theme and i wanted to bounce some stuff off you. if that's not too boulder._

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Haha, stop right now. What were you thinking?_

That one late night conversation got both of your gears turning and suddenly you had a full blown advertising and design project on your hands. To make that happen, you needed to actually see the place yourself so you set aside time on your day off to go there. As you were getting ready to leave, Erin and Chad were standing in the entryway with matching frowns just for you.

“Why don’t you just let me come with you?” Chad asked for the twentieth time.

You waved him off, rummaging around the clutter piled on top of the coffee table.

“I really appreciate it, but no. Have you seen the tape? I swear I left it right here.”

“I’m with him on this,” Erin said instead of answering you, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s nothing against monsters, but you barely know this guy. You should bring one of us along just to be safe.”

“Guys, will you calm down?” You stood up and mimicked her stance. “I know him well enough, okay? This is for work. I can’t just bring my friends along to a meeting with a client. Besides, the last thing I want to do is make it seem like I'm scared of him or that I'm bringing people to ogle at them.”

Erin and Chad exchanged a long look.

“Will you at least take the pepper spray?” he asked.

“Yeah, sure? I always have it in my car, but that wouldn’t work on him anyways.” You waved your hand in front of your face. “No eyes, remember?”

That particular piece of information did nothing to appease them. Chad somehow managed to pucker his already furrowed brow in a way that would impress a Shar Pei. You squatted down to check under the coffee table and green appeared in your peripheral vision. It was the telltale green of the scotch tape dispenser and you snatched it up quickly. It was mostly all used up, but there was enough for what you needed it for and you wished you would have checked under there first so you could have avoided almost the whole lecture.

“Come on, guys. You’ve never freaked out like this about any other client before,” you said, uprighting yourself and slipping the tape into your pocket.

“You don’t usually meet with clients,” Chad argued.

“Yeah, but when I do I never get the third degree like this,” you said. “I’ve been talking to them both for the past two weeks. They’re good people. Sans is just trying to get his business going and I want to help.”

“Okay, fine, but call us if something happens, alright?” Erin asked, nothing but concern and love for you on her face.

“I promise, I promise. I have to get going. I’ll grab dinner on my way back.”

Chad was silent and stoney as you were walking out. So you gave him your biggest smile and reached up to pinch his cheek.

“And I’ll get your favorite arroz con pollo, fussyface. Bye!”

He immediately started swatting at your hand and hissing back toothless insults, acting too much like a wet cat as you slipped out the door with a laugh. The reservation wasn’t far from town, so it was a relatively quick drive. It was still closed to the public, so you would be meeting Sans at one of the gatehouse entrances posted around the perimeter to keep unwanted visitors out.

As you started to get close, you could see buildings nestled in the valley and beyond it, Mount Ebott loomed like a silent guardian watching over the budding city at its base. You finally reached a plain, grey brick building along the side of the road and stopped outside the extended, blue-striped arm that blocked the way into the reservation. There was a speaker attached to the side of the building with a rounded, black camera on top. You rolled down your window, letting the sticky spring air creep into your air-conditioned sanctum, and stuck your head out.

“Hey, like, how can I help you?” a voice crackled across the speaker.

“I’m meeting with Sans Fontanelles,” you said, raising your voice a little to be heard over the quiet rumble of the idling engine.

“no body here by that name.” The voice changed, but you recognized the low tone.

“Wait, is that because you're a skeleton?” you asked accusingly.

His snicker was cut off by the speaker going dead. The door on the side of the building opened and he strolled out, hands in the pocket of his hoodie. Peeking out from the doorway behind him was a large body covered in fur, maybe rabbit-like in nature if their long ears were any indication, and another equally large monster that looked like a scaly dragon, both completely dwarfing Sans. They were so buff that you weren’t really convinced that they could make it through the door without creating an even bigger exit hole on their way out, but they were peering at you with wide, curious eyes. You gave them a friendly wave, which they sheepishly returned and quickly disappeared back inside.

“sup.” Sans shuffled right up to the window. “you wanna drive us over there?”

Now that you were face to face with him again, it was a relief that none of your previous fear had lingered. You still had to remind yourself not to stare. Just a little. Accepting that he was a walking, talking skeleton was one thing, but his appearance was so different from what you were used to. It felt like you noticed something new every time you looked at him.

Like before, your eyes were drawn to his most prominent feature. You hadn't noticed last time how, unlike his brother and human skeletons, his teeth seemed to be _inside_ of his skull. He had no lips, just ridges of smooth bone that extended to cradle his smile but didn't close around it like a mouth normally would.

He really wasn't like a corpse at all, was he?

“Sure, hop in.”

He went around the front and got inside. As he buckled himself in, you noticed that he seemed to be sitting as far away from you as the seat would allow but it was close-quarters no matter how he shifted around. Just like how he had kept his distance at the craft store. You tried your hardest not to be offended. You could be skittish around strangers too and you had no right to give him crap about being uncomfortable with you after how terrified you were at first.

The arm lifted, unblocking the road.

“Um, just straight?”

“nah, that’s the city square. left up here.”

You followed his instructions, driving slowly through the streets. There was a lot of construction going on, buildings half-up, plastic sheets hanging over skeletal structures, and materials stacked up on the streets while monsters in orange hard hats worked on them. You seemed to be in a business area because there were no houses that you could see, just the beginnings of future shops and restaurants. There were so many monsters everywhere, more than you had ever seen before and no two were exactly the same. You did your best not to stare and kept your eyes ahead, hoping that you came off as indifferent and not disdainful.

“So is the reservation going to open up to the public soon?” you asked.

You could only assume that would be the case, since the club was for monsters and humans.

“that’s the plan,” he said. “but we’re kinda the test dummy. if it works out, then they’ll slowly open up the square and other places. just depends on how it goes.”

“Seriously? Just the club and nothing else?”

“yup. since we’re on the edge of the rez, they can block it off from the rest of everything else pretty easy.”

That got your nerves awake and moving, feeling the all-too-familiar ball of tension tightening right in between your ribs. So Sans had more than his own profit riding on the club. If it was a success then that would be the first step towards monster-human commerce and they could keep moving forward from there. Interact with humans more. Establish themselves.

On their terms.

Papyrus had posted that hardly any monsters had dared to leave the reservation since the restrictions had been lifted. When you asked him about it he told you that they were too scared of another attack and the few that had mustered up the courage to leave didn’t have very good experiences, which dissuaded any that had been on the fence about it. It was like they were stuck in limbo, a half-freedom with the real thing dangling right in front of their faces.

Rock Bottom _had_ to succeed.

“just the businesses though. the residential areas are separated by more guard houses and stuff. don’t think they’ll ever be open to the public.”

A chill went down your spine at his words. The possibility of an attack on the outside was a horrifying fact that they had no control over, but having to keep their own homes on constant lockdown? The two monsters at the guard house came to mind, clearly uncomfortable but still polite enough to wave back at you. How many humans had they dealt with since they came to the surface? How many had tried to force their way onto the reservation to burn everything they had built down to the ground?

“That’s…” What could you even say? “I’m so sorry.”

“why? you aren’t planning on doin’ anything to us, are ya?”

He threw it out there like it was only a joke and he was still grinning, but the way his eye lights honed in on you made it seem a little more than that. Again, that rubbed, but the conversation at hand helped you remember not to take it so personally. He had more than enough reasons to be wary and you were practically strangers.

“Absolutely not, but that still sucks,” you said firmly, meeting his gaze as best you could while also watching the road. “I wish it didn’t have to be like that.”

“me and you both, pal.”

A heavy silence fell between you, save the occasional instruction from Sans. The reservation was bigger than you realized. You supposed it would have to be to house the thousands of monsters that had made the migration to the surface. In minutes, you were leaving most of the buildings behind and getting closer to the mountain, seeing more of the forest that sat at its base and ran over the lower hills. He had said it was at the edge of the reservation, but there really was nothing else out there. Before you could ask Sans if you took a wrong turn, he pointed.

“we’re right there.”

You looked to where he was pointing, seeing an empty parking lot right next to a tall, exposed rock wall that sloped down from the mountain. You stared for a full minute, confused, until your brain finally processed that there was something not quite right about it. There were two huge, grey doors right there on the side of the mountain. You pulled into the lot and parked.

“It’s actually _in a cave_?”

“yup.”

“You said there were _some_ rocks.”

“that sure is some unspecified number of rocks alright,” Sans agreed with a grin.

You couldn’t help but smile back at him as you snatched up a sketchbook from the back seat and climbed out of the car, eagerly stretching up on your tiptoes to get a better look. It was a smaller hill coming off of the main peak, but still large in the way that only mountains could be.

“That is so freaking awesome.”

Sans chuckled, joining you. You expected him to lead the way, but he stopped too. There was an awkward moment where you both stood there looking at each other and waiting for the other to move. Then he held out a hand towards the doors.

“after you.”

You thought that was strange since it was his club, but proceeded anyways. You were just too excited to see it to care. Once you reached the door, Sans pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked it. Again, he let you go in first, opening the door for you. You cautiously stepped inside, marvelling at the rugged rock walls that surrounded you and the temperature had immediately dropped once you were out of the sun, causing goosebumps to prickle along your arms. Just ahead there was a rounded cave mouth, leading into to a massive cavern.

It wasn’t very bright inside, but a few portable work lights were set up to provide some illumination. The ceiling was so high up that you actually had to tilt your head back see it and the rocky floor had been smoothed to allow easy walking. A large platform had been cut from the stone against the back wall, the top of it seemed to be covered in glass that reflected the dim light, and stretched along the perpendicular wall there was a long bar also carved from stone. There were tables randomly throughout the room, definitely made from stone, and stone stairs led up to a second floor.

He had really downplayed the rocks.

“Whoa...did you guys dig this out yourselves?”

Sans came up beside you, hands in his pockets, looking around too.

“yeah, kinda takes me back,” he said. “so d’ya think it’s a lost cause?”

“No freaking way. It’s so huge. You can do so much in here.” You started moving through the cavern, taking time to look closer at the tables and the bar. “And you really have an established aesthetic going that I can work with.”

“guess that’s good then.”

“Did you guys do the tables and bar yourself too?” you asked, running a hand across one smooth table top.

“yeah, free furniture.”

That was as good of a reason as any. It was surprisingly clean in there. You had expected there to be more dirt, cobwebs, or whatever you’d see in a normal cave, but it looked like a lot of effort went into making it feel like a place of business while still maintaining its natural ruggedness. You were getting some ideas already.

“Why isn’t it damp in here? Most caves are, aren’t they?”

“me and a buddy installed central air and dehumidifiers,” Sans explained. “so none of the sound equipment and other electronics would be get damaged.”

“That’s so smart. Central air in a cave. Crazy.”

“heh, yeah. it was a system we used underground.”

Oh. Of course it wouldn't be crazy for them. Their whole lives had been spent in caves so they definitely knew how to manage one.

“That makes sense,” you said, treading lightly around the topic of their entrapment. “I’m sure there were a lot of things that you guys had to work around. Um, so there’s no chance of this collapsing, right?”

“nah, it’s reinforced.” Sans pointed up to some black pods that were on the ceiling in several places that you hadn’t noticed before.

“What are those?”

They looked like surveillance cameras that were in grocery stores, but larger.

“gmds.”

“...what?”

“gravity manipulation devices,” he clarified. “they create a matrix along the area of the ceiling that alters the gravitational field. takes the stress of earth’s natural gravity off of the structure and if it ever decided to give, it would be trapped in place.”

“Wow...I didn’t know something like that was possible.” That was a million times cooler than security cameras and you stared up at the pods in newfound awe. “I think our scientists have only just been able to detect gravitational waves in the last few years. You’re like...light years ahead of us.”

“huh, ya keep up with that stuff?” He sounded a little surprised.

“Not really. Science is interesting, but not really my thing. I just remember seeing some articles about it,” you answered honestly. “You could probably sell those and make a fortune.”

“yeah, that’s the plan. there’s already a patent pending and some interested investors. guess they figured out real quick that we had some good stuff to offer if we were allowed to stay.”

That sounded a little less breezy than his usual, laidback tone, but when you looked at him he was still smiling like everything was just dandy. You weren’t sure what to say. Communicating through email  had left some of his tone a mystery, but he had still seemed playful and easy enough to talk to. It wasn’t that he was being rude or not joking around now that you were together in person, but there were several moments where it felt distinctly different from the almost friendly repertoire you had been building with him over the past week. Maybe it would be better to go back to being strictly professional?

“Well, I’m glad it’s safe,” is what you decided to go with. You sat down your sketchbook and started to pull your phone out of your pocket, but paused as his eye lights flickered toward the movement. “Do you mind if I take photos? For reference?”

He shrugged, but his gaze stayed locked on you until you had your phone in hand. “go for it.”

You didn’t hold back on exploring the rest of it, eagerly snapping photos of everything from every angle. You needed to make sure you knew what you were working with later when you sat down to put some ideas down on paper. Sans was always nearby in case you had a question, but clearly giving you plenty of space to do your own thing.

“So the stage lights up, right?” You climbed the steps leading to it and took one experimental step onto the smooth surface. You could see the hundreds of stalactites far above reflected in the glass.

“yeah, a buddy of mine suggested it. they’re a dj and they said light up dancefloors were a thing, but i figured just the stage would be good enough.”

“Yeah, they used to be really big back in the 70s during the era of bell bottom pants and disco, but they’ve been making a comeback lately. I think if you had done the whole dancefloor that way it probably would have ruined the look you have going on, so I’m glad you didn’t go that way, ” you agreed. “Are they LEDs?”

“yeah. screens though. so we can do more than just colors if we want.” Sans held up a remote that he seemed to pull out of nowhere. “wanna see?”

“Yes, please.”

He pressed a button and the screens flickered to life. At first they were just pulsing through colors, then they went black. You were about to ask him if something went wrong when a vast spread of stars started to gradually fade into view. They slowly shifted, giving you the sensation that you were the one actually moving, floating lost somewhere in a faraway galaxy. It was kind of making you dizzy actually.

“This is so trippy.”

“yeah, heh, they’re pretty neat.”

Then the image shuddered and little spiderweb cracks splintered along the whole of the glass. Every muscle in your body froze.

“What the he—holy shit!”

Screen by screen, they began to shatter and fall away to nothingness. Dark, empty blackness lay below. It was right at your feet and you were going to fall— you scrambled backwards off the stage with a shriek.

Somehow you managed to land on your feet.

Sans was already snickering before you looked at him in panic and he was holding up the remote with one hand. With a sharp jerk of your head towards the stage you could see that the stars were already back, drifting harmlessly on the screens. The shattering had just been a part of Sans’ demonstration.

You pressed a hand over your chest, feeling your heart fluttering frantically inside, and threw him a dark look. There went the possibility of you ever attempting to be professional. It was clearly a lost cause with him.

“I hope you’re happy. My heart’s about to come out of my chest.”

Sans abruptly stopped laughing, making an expression you could only interpret as perturbed as his brow bones pushed together and created the most interesting little crease between them.

“wait, uh, can it do that? you’re not serious, right? shit, should i call—”

Now you were the one laughing.

“No, no. Relax. It’s just an expression,” you explained. “I only meant that you really got me.”

“oh....so your heart’s good?”

“I mean, it’s really racing, but it’s fine.”

The furrow between his brows grew even deeper, clearly not relieved at all to hear that. Why you found that to be as cute as the dimples you had no idea, but it really was. You had to physically bite your tongue to stop yourself from blurting that thought out.

“ya sure you’re okay?” he asked and then he nodded towards the stools lined up in front of the bar. “maybe you should sit for a sec ‘til it slows down?”

“I promise, it’s fine. It’s actually good for it sometimes,” you said, frowning a little. You weren’t sure if it was okay to ask, but your curiosity got the better of you. “You really don’t have a heart?”

He gave you a sideways grin. “it wouldn’t really do me a whole lotta good without any veins.”

Right, that made sense, but that didn’t make it any less strange. Sans was another living, sentient creature. He was talking to you at that very moment, but he had no idea how a heart worked because he was a freaking skeleton and didn’t need one.

“But other monsters have them, right?” you asked.

Sans shook his head. “nope. we’re mostly magic. not all that organic stuff that you guys are made of.”

“Aren’t bones organic?” you asked.

“not magic ones. they might look alike and have some similar elements, but mine are put together differently than yours.”

That explained the physical differences between him and a human skeleton. There really was no relation, just a superficial resemblance.

“Huh.”

Organic stuff. That was a revelation to you. He wasn’t organic and neither were the rest of the monsters, but they were still as alive as you were. Without really meaning to, you put your hand on your stomach, looking down at it and taking stock of everything that was inside it. What you could remember from school, anyways. That was something that totally set you apart. You really wanted to ask him more about monster biology, but didn’t want to pry or make things weird again.

“Cool.”

Sans snorted. “you can say it's weird. trust me, pal, i think humans are weird too.”

“It’s really weird,” you agreed quickly, laughing. “But not really in a bad way? It's more interesting than anything. I mean, you totally proved us wrong about how we thought life worked...and lot of other things too.”

He rose his brow bones at you. “yeah?”

“I mean, magic? Who didn’t love magic when they were a kid? Then you’re told that magic isn’t real and you grow up and you _know_ it isn’t real because it just _wasn’t_ ,” you said. “Now everything’s different. Magic is real. Monsters are real. Now we really have to take a step back to look at what we think we know and what’s really possible. How’s that not the coolest thing ever?”

He stared at you for a long few seconds, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as the other times he’d done it for some reason. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but you thought maybe it was the smile. It truly seemed to be a permanent fixture, he hadn't shown that he could make any other expressions yet, but it did look a tiny bit more relaxed. Maybe a little wider too.  

“huh...cool.”

You returned the smile as he repeated your own words back to you. “Anyways, do you mind if I check out the upstairs?”

“knock yourself out.”

Sans stayed below, allowing you to continue the photo barrage all by yourself. The upper floors were just as open and roomy, the stone floor being smoothed out there as well. There were even a few back rooms with doors that were separated from the main cavern by a hallway. You could only assume those would be used as offices or storage or something. You opened one and poked your head in to see a desk, carved from stone just like everything else, cluttered with tall stacks of paper.

Sans’ office.

Throwing a furtive glance over your shoulder and seeing no sign of the skeleton, you slipped inside. The desk was immediately ruled out since every inch of its surface was completely covered. Where else? Your eyes roved the bare room, but the only other thing in there was the a tall stool that he seemed to be using as a desk chair…

Wait, that was perfect.

When that was done you hurried back downstairs before Sans came looking for you. Not that he seemed in any hurry to. He had pulled two stools up to the table you had sat your sketchbook down at and he was slumped over, resting his head on his folded arms.

“Okay, I think I have everything I need picture-wise.” You sat down, pulling your sketchbook towards you and you looked at him a little closer. “Are you okay?”

It seemed like he could almost fall asleep right there, blinking his eye sockets every now and again as if he was fighting to keep them open. It was hard to tell because his features were so different from yours, but there were even dark half-circles under his eye sockets. It could have just been the low light or how his face was, but you didn’t remember seeing those last time.

“yeah, just a skeleton of stuff left to do,” he said, smirking a little as you gave him an unconvincing little huff. Then he mumbled into the crook of his elbow, more to himself than anything, “it’s been a real hassle tryin’ to work out how the hell you guys do things.”

Keeping your nose out of any potential human-monster conflict was the smarter option. There had already been a handful of tense moments between you and you didn’t want to make a habit of making him uncomfortable. Still...his comment was just begging to be asked about and your curiosity won out for the second time that day.

“Like what?”

Even his responding chuckle sounded tired and he sat up a little to look at you, propping his head up with a hand.

“ya really wanna know?”

“Only if you’re okay with sharing,” you said. “I understand if it’s not my business.”

“it's not like it's a secret or anything.” His skull tilted in that familiar, thoughtful way. “there’s a bunch of stuff. like the county wanted to do a shit ton of inspections on all the businesses on the rez, the club included. they planned to shut everything down until they got through ‘em all and who knows how long that woulda taken.”

“Can they do that?”

“nah, we really only fall under federal jurisdiction, but they were gonna try anyways. so that was a mess and a half and held up finishing the floors for a couple weeks while we got it all sorted out.” He shrugged. “and that’s just one thing.”

That brought the heavy construction in the square and all of the paperwork on his desk to mind. The still mostly empty cavern around you suddenly seemed to triple in size. As great as it looked so far, it was clearly still unfinished and there was so much more to be done before it would be anywhere close to a functional nightclub.

“Is that why you’re all just now getting your businesses going and there’s no set timeline for opening anything?”

“yup. getting patents for stuff like the gmds. liquor licenses. fda. zoning. that all takes time. we’ve got our own systems in place that we still use since we’re mostly self-governed and now we gotta go through some of yours too.”

It wasn’t quite a full rant and he was still smiling that easy-going smile, but now that you knew to look for it you could actually see it. The tiniest slump to his shoulders, the shadows under his eye sockets that you were _almost_ positive hadn’t been there before, and even his eye lights looked dim and fuzzy. No wonder he was exhausted. Two sets of laws and regulations that they had to follow? That had to make it difficult to do anything with an ounce of legalese attached to it. What happened when they conflicted?

“sorry. i don’t mean to, uh, rag on your government or nothin’,” he quickly continued, his eye lights skimming over your face before shooting away. “it’s just an adjustment, that’s all.”

The unexpected and unnecessary consideration for your feelings combined with the new insight on what he was dealing with, what they were _all_ dealing with was too much for your heart to handle. A mess of emotions began to swirl and swell in your chest, too muddled for you to understand them all at that moment. There was definitely compassion, a fierce protectiveness, growing admiration—there was just so much.

The only thing you knew for certain is that you wanted to help.

“Seriously, Sans? All of the hoops you have to jump through and you’re apologizing to me? Please don’t. I can’t even imagine how sick of it I would be if I were in your shoes. And on top of everything else you have on your plate?” You shook your head at him, hoping that he didn’t misunderstand and think that the frustration in your voice was aimed at him. “...I don’t know how you do it. I wish I knew more about law so I could help.”

He shifted in his seat, his gaze still anywhere but on you. “don’t worry about it. i’m just, ya know, flapping my gums. heh.”

That was a bad one, even for him.

“Well, if there’s ever anything else I can do please let me know.“

Sans blinked his eye sockets again, slower, and he continued to look off to the side. “thanks...i’ll, uh, keep that in mind.”

You don’t know if he took you seriously or not. It was so hard to tell with him. You resolved right then to ask Papyrus if he knew of anything they needed. It was the very least you could do.

“Of course. I don’t have it nearly as bad as you do, but I can relate to what it’s like to be drowning in work,” you said. “You never get online, so you probably didn’t see any of it, but Papyrus is single-handedly responsible for my rent money this month. Probably next month too. All because he shared some of my stuff and I made him a banner.”

“yeah, i think you might’ve said somethin’ about that.” He looked back at you, eye lights finally drifting back over to meet yours once more. “guess it’s a good thing he helped out then.”

“It was the last thing I expected. The banner was a gift so he didn't need to credit me, but he did, and now I literally can’t keep up with the commission requests anymore. It's kind of insane how much reach he has.”

“it’s really too much for ya, huh?” he asked.

“When I say I can’t keep up, I’m not exaggerating. I get like hundreds of emails a day. A decent number of them are spam or hate mail, but there’s plenty of real ones in there too and they just keep coming.”

“hate mail?”

His head was cocked to the side again and you quickly started to back track, wishing that hadn’t slipped out. “Just the usual jerks being jerks. I set up some filters the other day for ‘strong language’ and stuff like that, which gets most of them. No big deal.”

He hummed quietly. You could feel your cheeks start to burn, all the more noticeable in the cool air of the cavern. Everything you were saying was probably coming out wrong and you were making yourself sound like an ungrateful jerk or something.

“It’s not that I’m not happy about it or extremely appreciative, I really am, but I’ve never had this sort of interest before ever and I wasn’t really ready for that sort of flood, you know? And to top it off my Cintiq shit the bed last week.”

“your what did what now?”

You laughed as he quirked a single brow bone at you.

“My Cintiq, a stupidly expensive but very efficient drawing tablet, stopped working. It was my graduation present to myself since I wanted to do more digital art and I just can’t justify replacing it right now. Going back to my old tablet has slowed things down a bit since I have to get used to it again, but it gets the job done at least.”

“how expensive we talkin’ here?”

“I don’t even want to talk about it. It gives me chest pains—” His brows were furrowing at you again so you quickly continued before he tried to call an ambulance.“Another expression, sorry! Let’s just say I spent more on it than my car. Plus accessories.”

He let out a low whistle and his eye lights roved around the room once more before returning to you. “so you’re all slowed down, have extra work, and still making time to do this?”

“Well, yeah, of course. Like I said, if I hadn’t met you guys my art would never have blown up like it has and I really think Rock Bottom is a great thing,” you said. “Honestly, I’m really surprised that you even got in contact with me at all.”

“why?” His brow bones raised ever so slightly.

“I don’t know. Lots of reasons?” You shrugged sheepishly. “There’s no shortage of human-monster tension of course, but aside from that I’m still learning and I don’t have as much professional experience as other people so this is my first real, big job. Before all of this started, I was wondering if I was wasting my time. I was even considering picking up a second job or finding something a little more serious until I could afford to focus more on my art.”

“i know all about that. i had several gigs before we came to the surface. that’s kinda why i wanted to do this.” He gestured to the cavern around them with a half-flick of his hand. “do my own thing. be my own boss. not have to count on anyone else to give me a job.”

You nodded. “Yeah, exactly! Except I kind of do need paying customers to give me jobs, but with my art, I can make set my own schedule, make my own deadlines, and only take the commissions that I want to do. Besides, I’m doing something I love and that’s the goal, right?”

“yeah, i guess. it’s tough to make something you love a career though. sometimes that just takes all the fun out of it.” That almost sounded like he knew from experience. He rubbed the back of his head, strangely the soft rasp of dry bone on bone was starting to become a familiar sound, and looked down at the table. “but it’d be a real shame if you put your art on the backburner. even without paps, i think you could’ve drawn a crowd all on your own.”

Your face and chest instantly warmed at the praise before the second part sank in. It was embarrassing how loud you snorted, but his smile widened a little.

“if it’s not baroque don’t fix it, ya know?”

You laughed even harder at that one. It was hard to get down on yourself when he was making it his personal mission to be as ridiculous as possible.

“These are way too relevant. Did you look up art jokes or something?”

“nah, it’s a pigment of your imagination.”

“You totally did!”

“no way. gotta draw the line somewhere.”

You lost it for a full minute before one suddenly came to you. “Where does the cow put all of their paintings?” You paused for dramatic effect even though you were pretty sure from the way his eye lights gleamed that he’d heard it before. “The moo-seum.”

“that was the _dorkiest_ thing i’ve ever heard in my entire life.”

Despite that, he was grinning like he very much approved. Somehow that helped you feel a little bit better.

“I don’t want to hear anything about dorky jokes from you,” you said, flipping open your sketchbook. “Since we’re both beat we should make this quick and I can get out of your...hair.”

You couldn't help but glance up at his obviously bare skull and give him a small, apologetic smile for the faux pas.

"rude,” he said, but there was no bite to it and he even chuckled.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m a horrible, awful human.”

“at least you’re aware,” he fired back.

“Okay, who’s the rude one again? Now I’m going to make all of the hair jokes that I can think of.”

Sans’ grin went crooked and the challenge was etched into the hard curves of his face. “be my guest.”

“Okay, like...”

“hm?”

“Liiike…”

“yeeeah?”

Damn it! Making you laugh was probably the easiest thing to do in the whole world and you’d lost your shit over the crappiest of crappy jokes, but you were going totally blank when you needed to remember them. It didn’t help that Sans’ smirk was getting more and more smug by the second, which had the distracting effect of making his dimples even more noticeable.

“all done?”

“...yes.”

“wow, you really got me th-hair,” he started. “it’s okay that you’re a horrible, awful human, it’s not okay that you can’t even get yourself out of this hairy situation. you’re really not cut out for this. you beard-ly even tried. that’s okay, i’ll straighten it out.”

You groaned, hiding your face in your hands. You were murdered. Dead and buried in the grave. He was holding the shovel, victorious.

“Where do you keep them all?”

“i think of ‘em in my down time and shave ‘em for later.”

He wasn’t funny. Not even a little a bit, so why were you laughing so hard? Weren’t you supposed to be working or something?

“Okay, no more or we’ll never get anything done. If you could please try to control yourself for a few minutes, I…” You trailed off before gasping loudly and beaming at Sans, freezing his cocky smile in its tracks. “I _mustache_ what you think about some possible ideas I had!”

That, for some reason, broke him.

“mustache,” he wheezed between chuckles. “how did i forget mustache? man, alright, i’ll give ya that one.”

Even though you were like ninety-percent sure that he was laughing at _you_ , not the pun, it was the hardest you’d ever seen the skeleton laugh, an arm coming up to cover most of his face. The loudest too. Now that it wasn’t just a heavy exhale or quiet snickers, you could actually make out what it sounded like. It started out low and throaty before pitching up higher at the end, a little more giggly than you would have ever expected from his normally mellow tone.

How could you hear that and not laugh with him?

Once you and Sans finally came back down from the giggle fit, it didn’t take too long for both of you to go through everything. You quick sketched while you talked, trying to keep the ideas for later, and he liked every suggestion you had. In the end, you decided on a sign for the outside of the building, some possibilities for all the decor for the inside, and even a couple different flyer ideas. You agreed to draw them all up in more detail for his approval and send them to him. You headed out together and he locked the door behind you.

“Do you need a ride home?” you asked, digging your keys out of your pocket.

Sans seemed to consider it for a second, but then he shrugged. “nah, i’m good.”

You glanced at the parking lot again for confirmation. Yep. Your car was still the only one in the lot.

“Are you sure? It’s no trouble.”

“yeah, but think ya can remember the way back?”

You thought about it for a second, trying to navigate backwards through all of the turns you had taken. It didn’t take you long to find your answer. You shook your head at him helplessly, feeling like the worst supposed adult ever. He laughed.

“guess i’ll ride back with ya to the guardhouse then. if that’s cool?”

“Thank you,” you said, very appreciative.

Just as Sans was going around the back of the van to get to the other side, he glanced over briefly, paused, and jerked his skull up sharply as he did a double take.

“whoa...that's dedication.”

You already knew he was referring to your sweet ride, but you followed him back there anyways. It was an older model, terrible on gas mileage, but reliable and really good for hauling everyone around when you wanted to go out. It had seven seats! But it wasn't all the extra space that had captured his attention.

It was the many, many, _many_ bumper stickers that completely covered the backend of your car and overlapped in some places. They said things like: “If you can read this, I’m not impressed. Most people can read!” Or: “I’m 25% funny and 85% bad at math.” Your personal favorite: “The fact that no one understands you doesn’t make you an artist.”

“I bought it off of our next door neighbor back when I first started driving and it already had a decent amount on there,” you explained. “I don’t know how it started, but it became a running gag at my high school for my friends to put new ones on there. Sometimes I would come out to the parking lot and find like three new ones in one day. I probably should take it all down, but I smile every time I see it, so...”

You shrugged, feeling a little childish but Sans didn’t seem to think so. He admired it for a moment longer before nodding in what you could only guess was appreciation before continuing to the passenger’s side.

“it definitely has character.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“heh.”

Sans helped you get back to the gatehouse and while he still wasn’t leaning on the center console or anything, you noticed that he no longer seemed to be trying to subtly become one with the door either. He hopped out once you were there. You weren’t really sure why he wanted to go back there, but you thanked him again and waved as you drove off. When you glanced back in your rearview mirror he wasn’t standing there anymore, so he must have gone inside.

You hummed happily all the way home, satisfied with how the meeting went. Not only did you get all of the business stuff knocked out, but somehow that weird, awkwardness that sometimes crept up between you and Sans seemed to be gone completely by the end. He really was nice and funny in the worst way. You just needed to step up your own joke game.

Almost a week passed before you got the email you’d been waiting for.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _okay how in the hell did you get the money on the ceiling? you were only gone for like three minutes and i tried getting up on the stool. there's still like two feet of difference even when i’m stretching and you’re not that much taller than me._

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _Did you try jumping from the stool?_

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _holy hell. you know your bones break a whole lot easier than mine, right? you could’ve really gotten hurt._

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _It was a sacrifice that I was willing to make. The five bucks just wants to stay with its rightful owner._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _so it's going to be like that, huh?_

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _You started it! And now you have it back and it’s over._

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _lol we’ll see about that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and for reading! I appreciate it so much! <3


	5. Oh Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's favorite skeleton gives some excellent life advice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

You really needed to rethink your life decisions.

You were currently hiding in the back of the craft store, trying to peek around the metal shelving to see the registers but a stupid end cap of BeDazzlers was blocking the way. Why? Because you had thoughtlessly fallen back into your old pre-work routine without remembering the reason you had been avoiding the craft store to begin with.

Nolan, the very nice but just really not doing it for you clerk, was at the register.

He hadn’t been standing there when you came in and so you just strolled right into the marker aisle without a care in the world. Then, as you were trying to convince your bank account that you really needed that new lime green, you heard him talking to another customer in the next aisle. You immediately hightailed it to the furthest corner of the store from him, praying he wouldn’t come that way.

How could you forget that he had asked you out  _ and  _ after getting side-tracked by Papyrus and Sans, you totally snubbed him? It wasn’t intentional or anything, but that’s what happened. You had every intention of coming back to clear things up with him, but every time you chickened out and before you knew it three weeks had passed. You figured by that point it probably was super obvious that you had been avoiding him and any sort of meeting now would just be super awkward for both of you, so you might as well commit to it.

So how were you going to get out of there without him seeing you? Hopefully, another customer would come in and distract him, so you could just slip right out— 

“AH! MY NEW HUMAN FRIEND!”

You jumped so hard that you nearly fell and almost cleared the shelf in front of you. Thankfully you managed to stop yourself from going down completely and only a few journals toppled to the floor. As the voice could only belong to one person, Papyrus was standing at the end of the aisle in a dark red sweat jacket and white shorts. He appeared quite concerned by your reaction, brow bones scrunching up and smile tense. He slowly crept forward until he was close enough to help pick up the journals, but you noticed that he was staying as far back as he could.

Just like Sans did.

“I’M VERY SORRY FOR SNEAKING UP ON YOU AGAIN. I’M TRYING VERY HARD TO BE LESS STEALTHY, BUT ALAS, I’M JUST TOO GOOD AT IT.”

Oh no. He thought you had been scared by his appearance again and was trying to make you both feel better about it. You immediately crouched down beside him and put your hand on top of his boney one, just lightly resting your fingers there just in case he wanted to pull away. When he didn’t, you noted that he was surprisingly warm to the touch. You probably should have seen it coming, since he really wasn’t a human skeleton after all.

“I’m not scared of you, Papyrus.”

Papyrus’ stiff smile stayed frozen in place.

“NO NEED TO WORRY, MY FRIEND, I KNOW YOU ARE VERY KIND AND IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT HOW HUMAN CULTURES PORTRAY SKELETONS.”

Ugh, no. He was just too freaking sweet and it was making you feel like a garbage person in comparison. You squeezed his phalanges a little tighter.

“No, Papyrus, I really mean it. I promise I didn’t jump just because of you,” you told him firmly, keeping your eyes trained on his empty eye sockets. “I was actually already trying to hide and I didn’t hear you come this way.”

“YOU WERE TRYING TO HIDE FROM ME?” His face warped into the closest thing to a frown that he could probably manage, matching the devastation in his voice.

“No, no, no. Absolutely not,” you rushed to assure him, your heart breaking into a million pieces. “I would never,  _ ever  _ do that.”

It was harder to tell where Papyrus was looking since he didn’t have the small pinpricks of light to clue you in, but he seemed to gaze at you for a few, long heartbeats in a manner that was not totally unlike the way Sans had at times. Then his expression brightened, his skull relaxing into a cheery smile, and he tightly squeezed your hand back once before letting go to grab the last journal.

“WELL, NOT UNLESS WE WERE PLAYING HIDE-AND-SEEK, I HOPE! THIS IS NOT THE BEST OF HIDING SPOTS,” he said, sliding it onto the shelf. “WHO ARE WE POORLY HIDING FROM?”

You couldn’t help but smile at his blunt, but well-meant honesty and how easily he interjected himself into the situation. 

“Remember the clerk that was here when we met?” you asked and he nodded. “Yeah, him.”

“OH! THE ONE WHO ATTEMPTED TO ASK YOU OUT ON A DATE!” He pressed a hand to his chest and gazed dreamily off into the distance, looking like he just came straight out of a soap opera. “I, TOO, HAVE BEEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF PASSIONATE, UNREQUITED FEELINGS AND IT IS A DIFFICULT BURDEN TO CARRY.”

“Oh my gosh, you saw that?”

“YES. THAT IS WHY I INTERRUPTED YOUR CONVERSATION, ACTUALLY,” he said. “IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH POLITER TO WAIT UNTIL YOU HAD FINISHED TALKING BEFORE GOING OVER TO THE COUNTER, I KNOW HOW HUMANS USUALLY REACT TO US, BUT YOU LOOKED SO UNCOMFORTABLE.”

You stared at Papyrus in amazed silence, your affection for the skeleton growing tenfold. Right from the beginning, he had known that humans were scared of him and you were a total stranger, but he still wanted to help you out anyways. Then despite your initial reaction, he had befriended you and helped your artwork get more attention. You owed him so much.

“Papyrus, I’m so happy that you decided to go to the craft store first that day,” you told him, not caring at all how sappy you sounded. “You’ve been such a good friend to me right from the very first minute. Thank you.”

Papyrus beamed, cheekbones going rosy.

“YOU HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD FRIEND TOO!” he said brightly. “SANS TOLD ME WHAT YOU’RE DOING FOR THE CLUB AND MY BANNER IS  _ ALMOST  _ AS COOL AS I AM. I HAVE GOTTEN SO MANY COMPLIMENTS ON IT.”

“No way, Papyrus, nothing is ever going to be as cool are you,” you said. “You want to help me sneak out of here?”

He considered that for a moment and you thought that he was going to say no. Then he nodded. “I AM ALWAYS PREPARED FOR SOME FRIENDLY BONDING!”

You stood up, brushing the dirt from the floor off your shorts, and went into the next aisle over to peek towards the front of the store again. It was easier to see, but unfortunately, Nolan was still standing at the counter. Papyrus followed you, bending his long legs so the top of his head wouldn’t be visible over the top of the shelves. It was a miracle that his loud voice hadn't already drawn his attention, but then again Nolan seemed very engrossed with something at the counter. He hadn’t looked up once.

“SO,” Papyrus stage-whispered, still very loud compared to actual whispering but it was a noticeable difference from his regular voice. “WHAT IS OUR PLAN?”

“I’m not really sure. So long as he’s standing there I’m not getting out of here without him seeing me. Maybe you could ask him to show you where something is way in the back of the store and I’ll run out the door?”

Papyrus placed a hand on his jaw, cocking his head in a way that you were starting to recognize as a family trait.

“THAT COULD WORK,” Papyrus finally agreed. “BUT…”

“If you don’t want to be involved, I don’t blame you and no hard feelings if you just want to finish your shopping. This is kind of weird.”

“NO, NOT THAT.” He waved off your offer easily. “WHY DON’T YOU JUST SPEAK TO HIM AND SETTLE THIS? I AM SURE HE WILL UNDERSTAND. THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COME BACK WHENEVER YOU LIKE WITHOUT HIDING!”

That  _ was  _ your original plan….

“But it’s been so long. Won’t it just make things worse by bringing it back up now?”

“IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO TRY! IF YOU CAN’T FIX IT THEN AT LEAST YOU MADE AN EFFORT AND CAN STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT! AND IF YOU CAN MAKE AMENDS THEN YOU MIGHT MAKE A NEW FRIEND! YOU WIN NO MATTER WHAT!”

That was...pretty sound advice.

Oh man. You were really going to take it, weren't you? Papyrus was just looking at you with so much support and encouragement, how could you not be swayed by his hopeful optimism?

“Okay...but will you come over if it starts getting too weird?”

“OF COURSE! I WILL STAY BACK HERE AND WATCH!”

With one last look at his smile for courage, you took a deep breath and made your way over to the counter. Nolan wasn’t looking at you at first and you could see that he was too busy looking at his phone not-so-discreetly under the counter. It wasn’t until you were standing right in front of him that he quickly looked up.

“Oh! Sorry for that, it—”

He abruptly cut himself off, his entire face going cherry red. Not a great start.

“Hey,” you said gently. 

There was a long stretch of silence where the muscles in his face twitched as if he was trying to remember how to work his mouth.

“Hey, um, i-it’s been awhile,” he eventually managed. “Finally remember your shopping list?” 

Aw, he was being such a good sport about it. He could have been snappy or short towards you and you would have understood why, but instead there he was. Trying his best. You felt even worse for dragging the situation out and decided to just get it all out there.

“Actually, no. I was sort of avoiding you because I felt so terrible about leaving without finishing our conversation.” Now that you were actually saying it out loud you realized how backwards that thought process was, but rational-you and anxious-you weren’t very well acquainted. “Things got a little hectic there for a few minutes so I lost track of what we were talking about and I really am very sorry. I would love to be friends though...if that’s still okay?”

You gave him a small, nervous smile. Maybe it wasn’t the outcome he had wanted originally, but you hoped that he had been at least a little sincere about being friends. He really didn’t seem like he’d be a bad person to get to know.

“Yeah, no. Of course, it’s okay and I totally understand.” He sounded relieved instead of heartbroken. “I didn’t mean to be pushy either. I thought maybe that I should just put it all out there since we never get the chance to talk in Western Civ. I’m really sorry.”

“No, really—wait, Western Civ?”

“Yeah, we’re in the same class?” His eyes scrunched up, looking a little puzzled.

Oh god. You _were_? It was your earliest class of the day so you were usually half-awake and running behind, so you had to sit all the way in the front. It was a huge class in an auditorium style lecture hall, so you never really paid any mind to the equally-sleepy faces around you and focused on keeping your own eyes open. How you even managed to take notes was a miracle.

He could easily tell that this was news to you. He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeeeeah, I sit in the back,” he said. “I always you see you rushing into the room five seconds before class starts.”

And he found something attractive about that?

“Anyways, I was serious about being friends though,” he said, shrugging. “I could always use more people to hang out with.”

You were just about to agree when you felt a thin, yet disproportionately heavy hand drop down onto your shoulder. You didn’t jump this time, turning your head to smile up at Papyrus. It wasn’t really as awkward as it could have been, but Papyrus apparently decided it was time for him to make his dramatic entrance anyways. Nolan looked up at the skeleton with a sharp jerk of his head and paled, but otherwise didn’t freak out. It was a definite improvement.

“HELLO THERE,” Papyrus said cheerfully. “I COULDN’T HELP BUT OVERHEAR THAT YOU WERE HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND I WONDERED IF I COULD JOIN IN? I, TOO, COULD ALWAYS USE NEW, COOL FRIENDS TO SPEND TIME WITH.”

That statement seemed to get to Nolan, making his lips twitch before they finally gave in and curled into a small smile.

“Of course, Papyrus,” you told him. “We still need to go get lunch together sometime.”

“WELL, I AM FREE RIGHT NOW!”

You considered that. You still had over an hour until your shift started.

“Sure, want to get something quick before I have to be at work?”

“I WOULD LOVE TO!”

You looked at Nolan.

“Is your lunch break any time soon?” you asked him. 

He seemed totally taken back by the question, cheeks coloring instantly.

“I can take it in, um…” He peeked at his phone under the counter again. “Ten minutes?” 

“GREAT! THEN WE CAN ALL GO TOGETHER!”

Papyrus’ excitement only seemed to embarrass Nolan more, but he nodded in agreement. While you waited for him, you helped Papyrus get some better drawing materials and paper, sharing your opinions on which generic brands were better than the others. Goodness knows you’d tried them all at some point. He was still going strong with his new interest in drawing and art, putting it to good use with his other hobby of making clothes. After Nolan clocked out you all went to a cafe up the street.

You tried so hard not to watch Papyrus eat and drink, but you found yourself sneaking glances more often than not. It was just so interesting because he didn’t really chew anything and when he opened his mouth to take another bite, whatever was in there before had already disappeared. Poof. It was just gone. How the hell did that even work? 

You were dying to ask but knew that wasn’t really polite and you’d already almost hurt his feelings once that day. It wasn’t something you wanted to repeat. You were happy that Nolan did really well too. After seeing Papyrus take the first bite without it falling out of him, he seemed to accept this strange, magical feat for what it was and dug into his own sandwich.

“SO YOU BOTH GO TO THE UNIVERSITY?”

Nolan glanced at you but you nodded for him to continue.

“Yeah, I’m a freshman and still undecided right now.”

“Oh really? I thought you were older,” you told him. “Probably because you’re tall. How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“WOWEE! I AM OLDER THAN YOU! I AM TWENTY.”

You looked at Papyrus in surprise, mirroring Nolan’s expression. It wasn’t that you expected him to be any age in particular, it was just that you hadn’t even once wondered what his age was because he was a skeleton. You thought that maybe Nolan had been the same and you felt rude for being sumptuous, but Papyrus just looked very proud of himself.

“YES! I AM NOT A BABYBONES ANYMORE!”

Babybones? That was so cute! But wait, what about his brother?

“How old is Sans?” you asked, unable to keep the thought to yourself.

“TWENTY-EIGHT!”

You tried to picture him in your mind and no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t make that number stick. There was nothing about the way he looked that you could use as an indicator.  Not even his clothes really gave it away. That was so strange. 

“Sans is...your brother, right?” Nolan asked.

“YES! WE WERE HANGING THE FLYERS TOGETHER THAT DAY!”

Nolan looked at you. “Did you know that he taped five dollars to your back as you were walking out the door?”

Damn it, Sans.

“WAIT, HE REALLY DID THAT?” Papyrus asked. “I THOUGHT THAT WAS JUST A MEME REFERENCE OR SOMETHING ELSE EQUALLY RIDICULOUS THAT YOU BOTH LIKE.”

“Ugh, no, he really did that!” You groaned in annoyance, but your lips were twitching at the corners and betraying how funny you found the whole thing. “I took it with me when we went to the club together and taped it to his office ceiling though, so I’m winning for right now.”

“SANS WILL DEFINITELY GET YOU BACK. HE NEVER MISSES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR HIJINKS,” Papyrus said and turned to Nolan. “MY BROTHER HAS THE WORST SENSE OF HUMOR IN THE WHOLE WORLD. DO YOU HAVE ANY SIBLINGS?”

Papyrus’ upbeat personality and eagerness to get to know him was what finally pulled Nolan out of his shell, the conversation flowing easily from there. They didn’t seem to have a lot in common. Nolan was an only child, couldn’t cook to save his life and wasn’t very active, but that didn’t deter the skeleton. If anything that just made Papyrus more eager to introduce him to the things he liked and he wanted Nolan to show him what he liked to do for fun too.

“Um...I guess I like writing? I’m on the school newspaper and I have a blog. Oh, and video games?” he said. 

“OH! I WRITE A LOT OF POSTS AND READ MANY ARTICLES! YOU WILL HAVE TO SHARE YOUR BLOG WITH ME. I LIKE VIDEO GAMES ALSO! HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED PORTAL?”

“Yeah, who hasn’t?”

“OH MY GOODNESS! WE MUST PLAY TOGETHER SOMETIME!”

“I haven’t played it,” you cut in.

Papyrus gasped.

“THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE! WE MUST REMEDY THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!”

When you needed to leave for work Papyrus was very sad to part ways, but made sure to get Nolan’s information so they could continue building their friendship and you could all hang out again soon. Then he surprised you and Nolan by pulling you both into a quick hug. You noticed that his body was just as warm as his hand had been, definitely hotter in temperature than you were and the heat seeped from his bones through your clothes as he wrapped his arms around you before folding himself into an auspicious, red sports car. You looked at Nolan, expecting him to be shaken or uncomfortable, but instead, the color was back in his face and he waved as Papyrus pulled away.

“So…” Nolan started once you were alone, a hand cupping on the back of his neck. “I thought that was going to be weirder than it was, but he’s so easy to get along with that you kind of forget that he’s a skeleton...or not really forget, you can’t really miss that, but…”

He trailed off, not really seeming sure of what he was trying to say.

“It just doesn’t really matter?” you supplied helpfully.

“Yeah, exactly,” he agreed, giving you a smile. “I guess I probably should have known that from the beginning.”

“I know what you mean,” you agreed eagerly, glad to have another to human to talk to that understood how you felt. “There are still some things that take me by surprise, but they’re not bad things. Just different. I think anyone would realize that after talking to Papyrus for a few minutes. He’s the best.”

“Yeah, he really is.”

It was easy to see that Papyrus had totally and completely won him over.

You and Nolan exchanged information too, so you could keep in touch. As you left for work you felt so much lighter, like a huge weight had been lifted from your chest. Nolan ended up being pretty cool and now you could shop in peace. Your bank account could be heard sobbing in the distance, but Papyrus had been right. Sometimes it was worth it to make things a little uncomfortable for a bit if it would make things better in the long run.

You really needed to remember that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really adore Papyrus and I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. He's a lot of fun, even though I hate typing in all caps (Just like I hate typing in all lower-case. The things we do for love!). Thank you all so much for reading and especially thank you to the sweethearts that drop their thoughts in the comments. You're all the best. <3


	6. Rickin' And Rollin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You try to be productive, but Sans keeps getting distracted...okay, maybe you do too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Will be updated with new music with each chapter)

The next few weeks were kind of a blur.

On top of Rock Bottom being the biggest project you’d ever undertaken, it wasn’t like interior design was what you were going to school for. Even with Sans going over the blueprints with you and explaining what the monster building codes were like, you still had to do a lot of research on your own. You weren’t totally sure you knew what you were doing.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I don’t mind doing this. It’s a lot of fun, actually. But are you sure you don’t want someone else who’s more qualified? Like an actual professional? I really have never done anything like this before and I’m just kind of winging it to be honest. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _i like your stuff and i don’t exactly have a lot of options here. i don’t know any monsters that do stuff like this except for maybe one guy and i’m not working with him._

Well, at the very least your portfolio was going to have plenty of variety.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Okay, you’re stuck with me then. I’ll go over these papers and get back to you. _

So it was more than a small shock when Sans offered you an hourly rate.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ You’re trying to pay me way too much, Sans. Again. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ it’s about average for what you’re doing. i think that’s fair since it’s not what you usually do. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ No, that means you should pay me less. Way, way less since I’m a total amateur. I can’t accept this. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ what is with you and always refusing money? just take it. that’ll cover any gas and whatever other stuff you might need. _

You didn’t even know what to say. That was easily more than you made at the grocery store and maybe all of your comissions combined. You tried to get Papyrus to talk to him about it. He had started meeting with you and Nolan regularly a couple times a week for lunch, just about the only free time that you could manage to snag for yourself anymore, but he wouldn’t hear it.

“FOR ONCE I AGREE WITH SANS. YOUR HARD WORK SHOULD BE COMPENSATED ACCORDINGLY,” he disagreed firmly. “IT IS QUITE THE TRANSFORMATION. I CAN HARDLY RECOGNIZE THE PLACE...AND I MEAN THAT IN THE BEST OF WAYS!”

You looked at Nolan helplessly, hoping he’d back you up, but of course, he just shrugged sheepishly. “I mean...I’m kinda with him here. I’ve seen the photos. You’ve done a lot. At least he wants to pay you well and not try to scam you or whatever.”

“Yeah….I guess that’s true.”

You just felt guilty. You were totally out of your element and it felt like Sans was really taking a huge risk with you. All you could do was buckle down and do your best. Maybe that would be enough to pull it off?

After a decent amount of back and forth, you finally managed to nail down the final look for the club. Sans had pretty much given you free reign, never once disagreeing with any of your suggestions. You couldn’t tell if it was him just being lax about the whole thing or if he actually really liked them. Hopefully, it was the latter. Despite his own carefree responses, you were insistent on having him involved in all of the decision-making so you didn’t mess anything up.

Good thing too because he had unintentionally settled your mind for you.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ here are those photos i was telling you about. _
> 
> **[Attached Image: 139_IMG]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: 141_IMG]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: 143_IMG]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: 137_IMG]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: 156_IMG]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: 153_IMG]**

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Wow, you weren’t kidding. The colors are so breathtaking! I can’t stop looking at them.  _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ yeah. it used to be one of my favorite places to hang around back then. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ You shouldn’t have shown me these. Now I have to try and do something with them. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ okay. lol but what do you mean? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I’ll show you. _

Between your own commitments and how equally hectic Sans’ schedule seemed, you usually could only manage to catch one another during the ungodly hours of early morning. You knew you should have been sleeping, but that didn’t stop either of you from working until one or both of you crashed. The sleep exhaustion showed itself in how easily both of you got sidetracked.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I just got off work. Here are the tables and stairs sketches. I really liked what we came up with for the bar and wondered about incorporating that into them? I have examples of with and without. _
> 
> **[Attached Image: glowytables.jpg]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: glowystairs.jpg]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: boringtables.jpg]**
> 
> **[Attached Image: boringstairs.jpg]**

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ you’re good. that looks sweet. definitely the first two. don’t want it to be boring. lol i have something that will be good for that too. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Awesome, I’ll add them to the keep pile. By the way, do you have a photo of the upstairs handy? Wide view, from the top of the stairs? Mine came out super blurry. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ that’s specific. lol probably because you were more worried about breaking into my office. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I didn’t break anything and you told me to knock myself out! Besides, I generously gifted you with five dollars. Aren’t I sweet? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ hope you know that’s coming back to you real soon. lucky for you i’m still here trying to set up some sound equipment. you can say i was a bit shocked by how long it’s taking, but i never was wired for electrical work.  _
> 
> **[Attached Image: 314_IMG]**

Besides further corrupting your own sense of humor, Sans was really good to work with. He wasn’t pushy or demanding in the slightest and was the most patient client you’d ever had, totally understanding when it took you awhile to respond. He was pretty guilty of doing that himself. Also, he was totally fine handling most things through email so you didn’t have to constantly try to find time to meet him in person during the drafting process. You wished all of your clients could be like him.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I think you’re trying a little too hard to plug your jokes into the conversation. Can’t you come up with anything more current than that? _

You may have started using Google for your comebacks. It felt like it was a vital and necessary part of the job. Besides, Sans clearly appreciated the effort.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ oooh, okay, pal. i wasn’t expecting any resistance, but if that’s how it’s going to be i can generate these all night. _

Things continued to dissolve from there until he started making really awful jokes about hitting rock bottom and rock puns, so you started making them back, and that was how the employee “uniform” was created at two in the morning. Whatever pair of bottoms they wanted to wear and t-shirts with one of the bad jokes underneath the logo. 

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ apparently rock bottom has a basement (no it doesn’t. don’t go looking for it.) _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ we’re pretty down to earth here so we get it. schist happens.  _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ the only way you’re getting any lower is if you start digging and we supply the shovels. _

He was so freaking proud of that idea.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ When you hit Rock Bottom it hits you back. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ How do you know when you’ve hit Rock Bottom? You’re looking at it. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Metamorphically speaking, this place rocks. _

You kind of were too.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ What do you think about these? I like the first ones better, they’re pretty much exactly what we’re going for, but the other ones are a lot cheaper and won’t be so hard on the budget. _
> 
> **[Attached Image:** **_lights1.jpg_ ** **]**
> 
> **[Attached Image:** **_lights2.jpg_ ** **]**

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ the first ones for sure. let me check some things out. me and my buddy might be able to make those. she’s pretty good with that stuff. _

Sans did that a lot. If there was something he could do himself, he did it, and it seemed like he only hired out if he absolutely had to. That explained why he was at the club so late every single night.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ If you guys can make the actual light part then I can probably make the outside look the way we want. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ we can do that. how are you going to do the outside though? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I have an idea, but we’ll have to do a trial run an see how it turns out.  _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ okay. let me know what you need and we can figure out a day to get together to try it. _

You had finally reached the limit of what you could do from home and you decided to stop taking so many extra shifts at the grocery store to make more time for Rock Bottom. It didn’t make your manager very happy, but Sans was paying you way better so she could deal. From everything you read about interior design, if what you were doing could even be classified as that, they usually hired out for the physical parts of the job and just acted more like a director of all the pretty things. Since you didn’t honestly know what you were doing and were better at making pretty things instead of directing, you opted for more of a hands-on approach and decided to do most of the decorating yourself.

After the first few times, you and Sans had a bit of a routine down. He would be waiting at the guardhouse, hop in, and together you would take off for Rock Bottom. Usually, Papyrus was waiting there to give you a hand, he especially seemed to enjoy painting with you and sponged up any tips or tricks that you had to share. Sometimes it was just you and Sans working on your own tasks in different parts of the club.

He would play music on those nights.

It definitely wasn’t what you normally heard on the radio. He seemed to like an eclectic mix of old, jazzy songs from the middle of the last century and songs with uncomplicated lyrics or little to no words, but a lot of slow, catchy beats. Chill music that you could work to without focusing on too much. It was nice and helped the nights pass quickly.

Until he switched to a different playlist and tried to Rick Roll you for an hour straight.

“I swear to god—where’s the off switch?” you yelled, looking at the halfway installed speakers around the stage and seeing nothing to control the noise blaring across them.

“what off switch?” he called, grinning smugly down at you as he leaned over the railing.

You could see that he was balancing a small gray contraption on the tips of his phalanges. The remote. He was taking full advantage of the fact that the stairs were still wet with primer and that you couldn’t risk using them without messing up all the evening’s hard work.

Then the music changed and you needed to listen to the slow build easing across the speakers for a moment to recognize his next instrument of torture.

“ _...I hear the drums echoing tonight...But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation… _ ”

“Duuuuuuuuuuude.”

_ “...He turned to me as if to say, "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you..." _

“You’re going to make  _ this  _ the soundtrack to your murder?” you asked, staring up at him blankly.

“ _... _ _ I bless the rains down in Africa~! Gonna take some time to do the things we never had~! _ ”

“i mean…”

It switched again.

“ _ What is love, love, love? Baby, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more~!” _

“...how are ya gettin’ up here to do that exactly?”

_ “Baby, don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more~!” _

Sans’ grin froze in place when you walked over to the carved ledges on either side of the stairs that doubled as the handrail and put your hands on the one closest to the wall, pushing all of your weight down onto it. It was solid stone and didn’t budge at all.

“no. you’re. freaking. not.”

“Watch me!”

_ “So what is right and what is wrong? Give me a sign~!” _

He really shouldn’t goad you. It wasn’t more than maybe four or five inches wide, but with one small hop up you were balancing on it and edging your way up the incline, gripping grooves in the cave wall to stay upright.

“holy shit...you’re really doing it.”

As you reached the top and hopped down to face the skeleton you couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his expression. It couldn’t seem to settle on one thing, stuck somewhere between perturbed and admiration. Brow bones skewed, eye sockets scrunched up at the corners, and the goofiest smile stretched across his skull. 

“you’re something else, ya know?”

You weren’t sure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not. Whatever, you’d take it. You snagged the remote from his slack fingertips before changing it to something that suited you better...

“I just know what I want and I go for it.”

_ “La-da-da-da-dahh~! It's the motherfuckin D-O-double-G (SNOOP DOGG!)~!” _

...and shimmied your way back down the railing.

_ “La-da-da-da-dahh~!” _

He just watched you go like he didn’t know what to do with you.

The money-tag was still going strong too. You were having fun, but you were starting to run out of hiding places in the club that he’d actually stumble upon at some point. So, of course, you managed to convince Papyrus to help you one time and he snuck it into one of Sans’ sneakers when they were home. Sans had made sure to get you back by covering it in tape and putting it on the back of your van, so you had no idea it was there for three weeks. Thank goodness it didn’t rain.

At the end of the night, he’d ride back with you to the guardhouse while Papyrus drove home on his own. Every single time despite you knowing your way well enough by then, but it just sort of kept happening and neither of you really commented on it. You were pretty sure it had more to do with not letting you run around the reservation unsupervised than making sure you got back okay. In the nicest way possible, of course.

In the middle of paint, epoxy, and anything else you could get your hands on for the club, you still had to handle the social media side of things. You and Papyrus tackled that together, making sure to use the official logo liberally to really beat that image in. Papyrus was going to run them so he handled all of the tags and keywords so they’d reach a wider audience. After they were up, he made quick work of posting all of the flyers, including the one he made, and all of the details for the opening night while you sent them along to every single one of the unofficial school pages. As you expected the accounts blew up.

Sans seemed a little overwhelmed and taken back by all of the interest, but entirely grateful.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ holy fuck. did you see how many likes and shares the second flyer got? i forget what the maximum occupancy is. i should probably check that. i didn’t think i’d have to worry about it. good thing we already have a bouncer. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I need you to know how hard I’m laughing right now. Remember how I have those filters set up on my business email? Yours just got flagged for “strong language.” But I’m really glad that it's taking off, Sans. Truly. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ oops. my bad. but seriously, you were so right about the online stuff. thanks again. _

Sans still barely used his other accounts, but you did notice that he took the time to share the club page and the flyers. You were really happy to see that other than a handful of especially outspoken haters, most people were generally curious about the club and seemed to like your art. With only a little bit more left do on your end, it really seemed like everything was going off without a hitch.

Thank goodness Papyrus was a lot more forthcoming than his brother.

“I FULLY SUPPORT HIM, OF COURSE, BUT THERE IS A LOT MORE TO IT THAN WE EXPECTED,” he told you over lunch one day. “OPENING A BUSINESS UNDERGROUND WAS MUCH EASIER. SANS HAD SEVERAL OF THEM ALL AT ONCE...ALTHOUGH SOME WERE MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN OTHERS.”

That explained his background knowledge on running the club and he had said that he had several jobs before coming to the surface.

“Is the county still pushing to do inspections on all of the businesses?” you asked.

Nolan straightened up at that. “Wait, they can’t do that. It’s a reservation, right?”

You had all met up at the coffee shop down the street from the craft store, the regular go-to for some quick food. It wasn’t everyday, but you tried to get together at least a few times a week. You were really enjoying spending time with them even if the current topic of conversation was less than pleasant.

“Yeah, it’s total bullshit,” you told him.

“YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?” Papyrus asked looking at you with widened sockets.

“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit when he showed me the club the first time.”

“YOU AND SANS DID?” he clarified, sounding surprised. 

“Yeah...why?”

“I...JUST DIDN’T EXPECT HIM TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THAT,” he said, head tilt activated as he looked at you. “DID HE ALSO TELL YOU ABOUT THE BEER PROBLEM?”

“What beer problem?” 

Papyrus took a few seconds, seeming to think it over before he leaned a little closer.

“SANS DIDN’T WANT TO TELL ME, BUT I FINALLY GOT IT OUT OF HIM LAST WEEK,” Papyrus said with a sigh, looking morosely down at the hot chocolate he had clasped between his hands. “HE CAN’T GET A SINGLE HUMAN BEER DISTRIBUTOR TO WORK WITH US AND ROCK BOTTOM NEEDS PROPER HUMAN ALTERNATIVES IF WE’RE GOING TO BE SERVING THEM.”

“How many has he tried to contact?” you asked. “There’s got to be one that isn’t prejudiced, right? Your money is just as good as anyone else’s.”

“SO MANY THAT WE’VE LOST COUNT. IT HAS BEEN VERY DISCOURAGING.”

“That’s messed up,” Nolan said, swirling the straw in what was left of his caramel macchiato. “I don’t understand how they can get away with that.”

“You guys can still serve liquor though, right?” you asked. “That’s still a good alternative.”

“YES, BUT SANS HAS DONE HIS RESEARCH AND HE SAYS THAT BEER IS A STAPLE IN THE NIGHT TIME ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.” Papyrus sounded uncharacteristically down himself. “I TRIED CONTACTING A FEW MYSELF, HOPING TO CHANGE THEIR MINDS, BUT THE RESPONSE WAS THE SAME.”

There were people in this world that could resist Papyrus’ charm? Maybe it didn’t carry over well through text. Especially if he typed in all caps in the email like he did when he messaged you...hold the phone. Sans didn’t use all lowercase in his other business emails, did he? You really hoped not because that could have been part of the problem right there.

“Wait a sec,” Nolan said, looking thoughtful. “Have you guys tried any of the microbreweries around here?”

Papyrus looked confused.

“WHAT’S A MICROBREWERY?”

That probably meant no. Sans had probably been looking at the bigger, more established vendors since that was what most businesses used. He had already mentioned that things were so different on the surface that it was hard to accommodate for all of the new things he had been running into. You supposed the possibility could have slipped right under the radar with all of the other things he had going on.

“It’s just a smaller, local version of a big brewery,” you said, perking up. “There are tons around here actually with us being a college town.”

“I AM GOING TO ASSUME THAT THOSE TWO CORRELATE SOMEHOW.”

“College kids like to drink and it’s kind of a fad right now to take a crack at making your own beer.”

“OH. THAT IS NEWS TO ME.”

“My friend actually works at one. He was saying they really need a new account bad because there’s so much competition. I think his cousin runs it or something?” Nolan continued, sounding excited. “I can talk to him and see if maybe they’d want to work with Rock Bottom?”

“YES! PLEASE DO!” Papyrus perked up instantly, practically vibrating in his seat in excitement.

“Hey, if they do want to work with you, can you have Sans email me first?” you ask.

“I WILL TELL HIM! WHY?”

“I just have some ideas on how to word the proposal to them,” you said gently, not wanting to offend.

From the way Nolan caught your eye, he seemed to understand exactly what you meant. 

The next day you were getting out of class when Nolan ran up to you, smiling ear to ear.

“Hey! I just talked to my buddy! He gave me his cousin’s email and told me to have Sans get ahold of her.”

“Holy crap! You’re the best!”

Without thinking about it you wrapped your arms around him and squeezed. It’s only when you pulled back that you considered that maybe that wasn’t very cool of you to do since you had rejected him. But Nolan wasn't fazed at all, just looking happy at the news. He held up his phone.

“I’ll text it to you.”

“Why me?”

“So you can give it to Sans?”

“Oh. Right. Okay.”

You supposed that made sense since Nolan didn’t really communicate with Sans. Papyrus would have probably been a better choice since you really didn’t talk outside of the work emails either. It may have gotten a little silly at times, but it wasn’t like how you talked to Papyrus. You didn’t even have Sans’ phone number.

“I’ll make sure to tell him that you were the one that got it for him,” you said instead of what you were actually thinking. “I know he’ll really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, and even if it doesn’t work with them then we can try some of the other ones around here. There are plenty of options. I’m going to meet Papyrus for lunch. Want to come with?” 

“No, you guys go ahead. I have a bunch of stuff to do tonight. Tell him I said hi.”

“Okay, next time then!”

Nolan was apparently perfectly fine letting himself get wrapped up in all of the Rock Bottom shenanigans, even without knowing Sans himself. It was probably because of Papyrus. He was like a vacuum of affection and devotion. 

Nolan had already sent you the email address. You couldn’t wait until you got home to tell Sans so you started typing it out as you walked all the way to your car. You kind of wished you had his number so you could have just called him or met up with him in person. Then you could have gotten his reaction first hand. 

Oh well.

He finally got back to you a few hours later when you were elbow-deep in paint. You knew it was him from the special alert that you'd set to go off for his emails. You immediately stopped what you were doing, did a half-assed wipe up, and rushed over to your phone. 

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ you’re yanking my chain. there’s really another human out there that wants to work with us? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Hopefully! They really need a new account bad, I guess. Nolan knows someone that works there and he talked to them.  _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ is this the same guy that tried asking you out at the craft store? _

Your fingers froze over the keyboard and your cheeks burnt up instantly. You didn’t know he knew about that. He never said anything about it so you had thought he had come in afterwards. Did Papyrus tell him about that or…?

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Were you there for that part too? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ yeah. that was pretty awkward. good thing paps stepped in. _

That meant Sans also saw you freeze up on Papyrus. You plopped down on the tarp you had laid out on the ground to catch any possible mess and didn’t worry about your already stained painting clothes, feeling miserable and mortified all over again. It was already awful, but it was even worse knowing that Sans had witnessed it too. No wonder he had acted so strange around you at first. You had made it seem like you were terrified of them and never cleared it up with him like you had with Papyrus.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I am so sorry. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ why? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I’m really not scared of you guys even though I froze up like a total jerk at first. I feel so terrible and I’ve apologized to Papyrus, but never to you. I didn't realize that you had been there for that or I would have sooner. I’m really so, so sorry.  _

There was a long gap where he didn’t answer and you really worried that he never would. You probably made things weird and uncomfortable all over again after things had been so easy the last few weeks, but you couldn’t just let it sit there either. Sans deserved an apology. When he finally did answer, you were almost too nervous to open it.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ i mean, yeah. that wasn’t great, but you already said sorry and i get it. i have my own issues with human stuff too. anyway, paps said something about you having some ideas about how to word the proposal? _

That wasn’t very specific at all and he clearly didn’t want to get into it. You were curious to know just what he was talking exactly about but you were supposed to be working, so you shoved it aside. You were just glad he didn’t seem to hold that day against you anymore.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Yeah, I was wondering if you type to them like you do to me? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ yeah, why? _

Well, that confirmed your suspicions. While you had no doubt that a lot of distributors had been prejudiced, you knew that coming off as unprofessional didn’t make it any better. Together you and Sans spent the next hour making a proper proposal email, with correct grammar and things like estimated sales that you didn’t really get but he did. It was obvious that Sans was business-savvy and knew how to manage one, but there was a major disconnect between how monsters operated and how humans operated. 

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ well, that’s that. guess we’ll see how it goes and i’ll let you know. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Please do! I have a good feeling about this one. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ do you? don’t you think it’s a little too convenient? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ What do you mean?  _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ i don’t know. it just feels like everything has been going a little too smooth lately. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ You’ve been working so hard, so it makes sense that it should pay off. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ maybe. thanks again. and if you talk to that guy tell him i said thanks too. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Of course. _

Since that last issue was in the process of being taken care of, you took a second to go down your mental checklist. As far as you could tell, you were all really on top of things. Knowing that everything was coming together, piece by piece, you could dive back into your work with vigor and not get distracted by any other wandering thoughts...

...like wondering about Sans and what sort of issues he meant exactly?

Definitely not distracted at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I won't ramble, but I was in a wedding this past weekend and it consumed my life for a few weeks, but it's over now so I can get back to posting this.
> 
> I feel like montage music should have been blasting in the background of this whole chapter. I paced it that way intentionally, but it's still funny to me. Does it make you guys feel busy? Also, I actually did something very similar to climbing up the handrail when I was younger just to prove that I could, so I have no doubt that when challenged some of you might get a little wild too. ;)
> 
> If you guys wanted Sans' meme playlist you can find it [here.](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/1r3eRrDMTocvfRn9DcfGEv?si=9o1XKfXSSUW2fi5Xp5_IAw)  
> The chill one is [here.](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/0JRTkT7oFaQCOdybbpG3mp?si=bsrVNB5-Sjqx__w-LxLKuQ)  
> And the oldies one is [here.](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/0dIA4RUmlF7TfT7p0PcMDJ?si=ORhAQTBeSneOexQkmT7Y0Q)  
> Thank you for all of your kind words, kudos, and even just for taking the time to read this. It means a lot to me.


	7. up and at 'em

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans always looks inches from the grave (in more ways than one) and this is why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Will be updated with new music with each chapter)

“RISE AND SHINE, BROTHER! IT’S TIME TO START THE DAY!”

Sans groaned and rolled over in bed, burying his face back into the pillow. He’d had another almost all-nighter, what night wasn’t anymore? He just needed a few more minutes…

“SANS! SCHOOL STARTS IN FORTY MINUTES!”

That got him moving, stumbling out of bed and mechanically slipping on whatever he could find piled on the floor around the bed. Tori wasn’t overly fond of lateness. Or him, as of late. It was just best that he kept his nose clean with her.

Heh. If only he had one to keep clean.

Mornings were as hectic as ever, surface or no surface. When he came downstairs, Paps was energetically clanging around in the kitchen, probably loading the dishwasher after breakfast. Adding to the chaos, there were two kids rushing around while a small, white dog chased after them and another kid watched them almost boredly from where they sat on the arm of the couch. Frisk met him at the stairs, hands flying around their tiny face.

“whoa, slow down, buddy. ya know i can’t read that fast,” Sans told them, laughing.

Frisk took a deep breath and with what looked like great effort, slowly signed for him, “I can’t find my math book. _”_

“have you guys seen their book?” Sans asked, turning to look at the other two.

“No and I can’t find my pencil bag either,” Asriel replied, digging into the couch cushions and dragging around his open bookbag behind him. “I had it last night...”

The dog, who Frisk insisted on calling “Fluffy,” had one of the straps in his mouth and seemed to be trying to play a very one-sided game of tug-o-war. Sans sighed and picked up the furball, receiving a lot of wet, smelly kisses for his trouble and he smiled down at him. He supposed that having a dog around wasn’t so bad.

“This is why Mom doesn’t want us staying over during the week,” Chara said, all ready and dressed in their purple and white striped shirt. “Why don’t you guys just put your stuff away when you’re done with it?”

Chara looked up at Sans and smirked.

“Right?”

Most days anymore he could handle it, but Sans wasn’t awake enough to stop himself from flinching and he knew Chara noticed. The smile vanished from their face instantly. What took its place was cold and empty, an expression that no twelve year old should have been able to make, but he’d be a liar if he said he didn’t prefer it over that smile.

“...right. come on. i’ll help ya look.”

That was when Fluffy decided his bones looked more edible than kissable and bit down on his phalanges hard. Sans let out a yelp, not his proudest moment, and loosened his grip. Fluffy launched from his arms, taking his right hand with him. Sans immediately wanted to take back his warm regards, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He liked the little shit too much.

Speaking of little shits...

“wait, where’s zuzu?” he asked, looking around the room.

He barely got the question out before the toddler bunny monster came barreling into the room from the kitchen, his hand clasped victoriously over her head and Fluffy yapping at her heels. Then she tripped over her own ears, tumbling head first over her legs and landing flat on her back at his feet. She looked lost for a moment, eyes trying to adjust to her new position on the ground before she looked up at him and gave him the biggest, buck-toothed smile.

“Daddy’s hand!” she chirped proudly, holding up his hand for him.

“good job, kiddo. thanks.”

He accepted the hand, popping it easily back in place, before scooping Zuzu up into his arms. Her violet fur was still wild, sticking up all over her head and cheeks, and she’d left one of her overall strap clasps undone, but at least her blue-striped shirt was right-side-out for once. She’d hit the terrible twos and threes with brute force and insisted on dressing herself, but she was still getting the hang of it.

“c’mon, silly buns,” he said, automatically snapping the other overall strap closed and combing her fur into place with his phalanges. “help me find az and frisky biz’s stuff.”

“‘kay!”

Twenty minutes later, they were all piled into the SUV and on their way to the school. Paps chattered on cheerfully with Frisk and Asriel about battle tactics (soccer moves) while Zuzu was off in her own world, playing with her dolls and making them jabber amongst themselves in her rear-facing car seat. Chara stared out the window with that same frigid look on their face, propping their head up with their hand. Frisk caught his attention in the rearview mirror, furrowing their brow and pursing their lips in a reproachful frown.

With small, subtle movements, they signed, “You promised to try _.”_

Sans sighed deeply, regretting that promise more and more every day but it was hard to deny Frisk something that they really set their mind to. A kid shouldn’t have to tell an adult that. But since when have things ever been the way they were supposed to with those three?

He pulled the SUV up to the drop off point outside of the brand new monster school, where young monsters wearing striped shirts of all colors were getting out of cars and trailing slowly towards the front doors. Sans glanced back at the kids as they grabbed their bags and clambered out of the car. Chara was the only one that didn’t say bye and he knew that they would need to talk about some things eventually, but there wasn’t any time for it at the moment. Paps got out to walk up with the kids, loudly greeting everyone and they took off, starting conversations with the other kids so easily that he couldn’t help but watch them for a moment.

Frisk had always had that undeniable, instant magnetism. With a smile or a gentle look, the other kids flocked around them and were doing their best to understand sign language just so they could communicate with them. Despite being the tallest of the three, Asriel was the shyest and had been slow to get used to it, but by now he seemed happy to have so many friends. Chara, on the other hand, could talk to anyone and everyone without hesitation, but it was harder to tell if they were okay with all of the attention or not. They usually didn’t have anything nice to say, preferring sarcastic quips and playful teasing, but they stuck by Frisk and Asriel’s sides anyway.

All in all, they had adjusted well and he’d almost never even know. How did they do it? Was it because they were younger, more adaptable? Or was it just because of who they were and everything that they’d been through they that could breathe so easily now?

Waiting for them with smiles was Tori and some of the other teachers. Among them was the newest student teacher, Patrice, and Paps stopped to talk to her. Sans could remember when Patrice used to ditch class to skateboard around Hotland with her girlfriend, but not long after they came to the surface she seemed to stop hating school so much and started studying under Tori. He hardly recognized her since she had stopped wearing baseball caps so often, styling her thick, wild curls so they didn’t just stick out of her head like a mop and started dressing more professionally, picking long skirts and khaki pants over the holey skinny jeans she used to rock before.  

Guess some people really do change.

He felt eyes on him and Tori caught his gaze from across the lawn. Right, _that’s_ where Chara got that look. Boy, she sure didn’t look happy to see him and he started sweating immediately, pinned under her cool stare. Running through a quick mental checklist, he was pretty sure he did everything right that time.

The kiddos had breakfast and were there plenty early, the late bell still several minutes off. They were as clean as kids could be, dressed, and had all of their school stuff. He checked their bags. Twice. Hell, he even helped Paps pack their lunches yesterday.

Welp, whatever he forgot, he was sure he’d be getting an earful about it later.

Ha, an earful.

“GOODBYE, MS. PATRICE AND MS. TORIEL!”

Paps was heading back towards the car. Tori blinked, snapping out of it, and she instantly regained her regal demeanor, waving at him warmly. A horn honked behind them and Sans didn’t hesitate to pull away, thinking of his bed and how he wished he could steal another hour or five of sleep, but he had too much on his plate that day. As he was considering what he was going to tackle first, Paps spoke up in an unusually soft voice.

“YOU AND TORIEL ARE STILL NOT SPEAKING TO ONE ANOTHER?”

Damn it. He really didn’t want to deal with that right then.

“we talk,” Sans refuted gently.

About the kids and stuff, at least.

“NO, I MEAN AS FRIENDS, SANS,” Paps said. “IT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR TOO LONG AND I THINK YOU TWO REALLY NEED TO SETTLE THIS. EVERYONE HAS NOTICED AND WE’RE ALL WORRIED. I’M WORRIED.”

Sans’ grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“we’re gonna work it out, bro. no worries.”

“BUT WHEN?” Paps was persistent, leaning towards him in his seat slightly.

“hmm. i dunno. s’been real crazy lately. maybe when it calms down a lil’ bit.”

“OKAY...PROMISE?”

Sans threw him a blank look before turning back to the road.

“paps, c’mon.”

“NO, YOU COME ON. I'M TIRED OF SEEING MY FAMILY AT ODDS.”

That made the both of them, but things just weren’t that simple.

“look, it’s gonna happen. soon. just let me get the club open and we’ll talk.”

Paps wasn’t pleased with the lack of a guarantee, but he sighed and settled back into his seat.

“I WILL BE HOLDING TO THAT, I HOPE YOU KNOW!”

Sans sighed too. “yeah, bro. i know ya will.”

But thankfully Paps let the topic lie for the moment because they needed to drop Zuzu off at daycare. Thank god she’d finally stopped crying every time they dropped her off because it shattered his soul every single time she’d turn those big, tear-filled blue eyes on him as they left her there and he didn’t like doing it anyway. But he and Tori talked it over and agreed that it would be good for her to play and socialize with other kids her age. Plus they started teaching them some things that would help her with school, like her numbers and colors or whatever, and worked on manners, tying shoes, and other things tikes like her needed to work on. He could get on board with her having a good head start.

It took a village, after all.

“i’m pickin’ ya up today, okay?” he said, leaning down to ruffle the longer tuft of fur that curled off the top of her head between her ears. “be good, silly buns.”

“Bye-bye, Daddy!”

She squeezed her arms around his spine in a tight hug and gave him a big, smacking kiss on his zygomatic arch. Paps swooped in to claim his, pressing his teeth to her own cheek in return. Then she skipped off happily to join her friends, gabbing their ears off a mile a minute in what only sounded like half-gibberish, so her talking skills must have been coming along pretty well.

“she gets that from you,” Sans teased his brother.

“I KNOW! I AM SO PROUD TO HAVE PASSED ON MY CHARISMATIC CHARM!”

He probably would have stayed there a little longer to watch her, he might have missed having her home during the day more than he wanted to admit, but he needed to swing by the main guardhouse to pick up the new heat press Paps had ordered. All packages sent to the reservation still needed to be carefully scanned and examined before they could be sent through. Paps had been wanting one for awhile for his own projects and he was going to use it to make the employee “uniforms.” Thankfully, it was given the all clear and it didn’t blow up on their way home, so that was a plus.

From there he had to hurry over to the club to let the plumbers into the club so they could finish up the kitchen. They were supposed to come and have it all finished weeks ago when they had been there for the bathrooms, but things had been so jacked up since the county inspection mess that everything had gotten pushed back. Oh well. At least it was getting done eventually and while he was there he could give the sound equipment another go.

He wasn’t kidding when he said that electrical work isn't his strong suit and he usually avoided it as much as he could. Too many wires to get tangled, too many opportunities to get shocked or fry something, and wireless speakers were a thing. He had a few of those spread throughout the club as backup and so he could play his music while he worked, but they would need something a lot stronger than that if they were really going to get the place bumping. So after a few hours of tweaking the other night, he had hooked his phone up and picked something random from his library. The reward for his efforts?

Warbled wailing. Not the good kind that he could sometimes appreciate in a song, but the kind that instantly grated and made him scramble to shut it off before a headache could settle in. But he wasn’t fast enough and the mess of tinny, distorted audio played on repeat in his skull all night long.

So that morning he spent some time online, reading up on how to do it right. InstaTube was his most-used resource as he tried to teach himself how to do half of the things that needed to be done for the club and he eventually found a really good video that went through the whole process step-by-step. Seemed easy enough now that he could see it all broken down like that. When he was done, he plugged his phone back in and the speakers boomed to life...

Sweet, sweet music.

Now Napstablook could hook up their own equipment up from there.

Since Paps was off doing his own thing, Sans met up with Grillbz and Maurelle to work on the drink menu some more over lunch. He knew that asking them was the right decision because they were coming up with some really great ideas. Tasty ideas. He was more than happy to sample the results of their combined genius.

“what’s this one called?” Sans asked, taking a small sip of the sky-colored drink.

It instantly chilled his teeth and sent a shiver wracking through his bones. It was super sweet too, like a candy cane or something else that was pure sugar. Not his favorite, but not bad either.

“Shiver Me Timbers,” the spider answered for them, leaning two of her six elbows on the table and her fangs peeking out from the flat, unamused line of her mouth. “I didn’t name it.”

Grillbz just shrugged silently, his neck and face crackling quietly in embarrassment, and Sans liked it a lot more knowing the older monster was responsible for the silly name.

“fair enough.” Sans chuckled. “so how many of these do ya got total?”

“Enough for a whole menu when you combine them with the old stuff and we’ll try to think of some more,” Maurelle said. “It won’t be even, but it should be enough to get by. Now you just need to get the beer situation sorted out and it should be all good to go.”

Sans ran his phalanges over the top of his skull. “trust me, i know. they’re not giving it up easy, that’s for sure, but i'm waiting back on an answer from that one place.”

Grillbz nodded in understanding, having run into the same issue himself when he had tried to secure human beer for his bar and since Maurelle owned the only major monster distillery, she had decided to limit the sale of her products to the reservation only in retaliation despite several interested inquiries about it. They were hoping that something would change before they officially opened their doors to the humans so they could take advantage of all of the new potential business, but that wasn’t looking very likely at the moment.

It made him remember what you had said the other day about how hard he’d been working and how it all should pay off. Maybe that’s how it was supposed to work, but you didn’t know his track record. Or any of the other monsters’ for that matter. Still, you seemed pretty certain that things were finally heading in the right direction for them.

Stars, he hoped you were right.

“thanks again, guys. means a lot. if it works out, i’ll let you know.”

Both monsters were equally grateful for his answer and he left to head over to Alph’s lab to help her out for a bit. It was the least he could do since she had been working on the lights for the club with him and they were coming along pretty well. It wasn’t really a surprise when she tried to talk him into staying on long-term.

“you're barking up the wrong tree here, alph.”

“B-b-but we c-could really use the h-help,” she stammered out, pushing her glasses further up her snout. “i have a wh-whole new lab to r-r-run and n-n-new staff to h-hire. The qu-qu-queen has s-s-so many plans. It’s a-a-a lot.”

“i hear ya and i’ll help ya out when I can. i'm just not feeling it as a full-time stint.”

“Y...you still want to give it all up?”

He shrugged. “i have other things to worry about now. you got this and handled it for years on your own just fine. stop stressin’ over stuff you already know how to do.”

“At least one of us th-thinks so…”

He gave her smile and quickly got back to sorting through the research files and blueprints that had been brought up from her old lab. It was weird being back under the too-bright lights glaring off of the tile floor, the sharp, clinical smell of chemical cleaners, and drowning in more tasks than there were hands to manage them. It was nostalgic.

Not in a good way.

He was glad to leave to pick up Zuzu from daycare and the kids from soccer practice before heading over to Tori’s place. Usually, they tried to get everyone together to do dinner a couple of times a week, but it had been hard since everyone’s schedules were so jam-packed lately. They’d have to try again in a few days. For now, he was just dropping the kids off so they could spend some time over there.

Chara was still as silent as a grave in the backseat on the way over.

Then Zuzu started in, pressing her stuffed rabbit’s mouth to Chara’s face and smacking her mouth loudly in exaggerated kisses. At first, they wanted to be annoyed, leaning away from her car seat and grumbling quietly at the tot. But Zuzu was persistent, twisting in her seat to strengthen her attack. In the end, Chara ended up giggling softly, placing one single kiss on the little rabbit’s head and Zuzu exploded in happiness, turning her toy’s affection onto Frisk and Asriel next.

The kids were all laughing and playing with her as he was pulling into Tori’s driveway. It took a little convincing on his part to get them out of the car and helped them take their things into the house. While they went upstairs to put away their things in their rooms, he went to find Tori. She was in the kitchen, apron on and spectacles on her face as she was reading a small stack of papers. Before her was a full table of food, steaming hot and looking as delicious as ever.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Zuzu went right for her, stretching up onto her toes and reaching for her.

“Ah! Hello, Zuri!” Toriel cooed warmly, bending over to scoop her easily up into her lap and she brought their noses together, nuzzling sweetly. “I have missed you so.”

“you act like you didn’t see her yesterday,” he said, leaning in the doorway.

She looked over Zuzu’s head, her mouth instantly shifting into a frown. No surprises there. She set Zuzu down and gently patted her on the back.

“There’s something for you in your room, Zuri. Why don’t you go see what it is?” she suggested.

Zuzu didn’t need to think twice about it.

“‘Kay!”

Sans waited until the pitter patter of her feet disappeared down the hall and he moved to sit at the table with the older monster. It felt good to just sit for a bit. No need to do anything with his hands. He had to stop himself from slumping over and racking out right there.

“alright, lemme have it, t,” he said, leaning forward and propping himself up on the table instead. “what’d i do this time?”

“You look like you’re minutes away from falling down, that’s what,” she said, lowering her voice as she leaned closer too. “Are you even sleeping anymore?”

That wasn’t what he was expecting to hear at all. He was sure they were going to drag out one of their old, unsettled disagreements to chew over again just for the hell of it. Instead, her eyes were glued to his, the sharpness in them softened with concern.

“i sleep. just been real busy lately, s’all.”

“Oh, I know how busy you have been,” she said. “I heard from the children that you even took them to work with you the other night.”

He winced a little internally. Oops. He meant to tell her about that and instead she heard it from the kids first.

“s’not gonna be like that all the time. ya know i usually wait until they go to bed to head over. somethin’ just came up,” he said. “‘sides they wanted to try out the games. i think their idea is gonna be a real winner.”

Tori stared at him for a moment before nodding, seeming just slightly appeased by the praise.

“Well, I suppose so long as it doesn't become a regular occurrence then there's no harm. It truly was an excellent idea.” She sighed. “But Sans you do not look well. You must rest.”

“hey, you’re the one that decided we should be the first place to open to the public,” he threw out and immediately regretted it from the way she hastily looked away, shoulders slumping. “look, i get why ya did. it’s the best option if you wanna keep the rest of the res separate, but it’s been a real bitch trying to make it happen. the humans don’t want us here and they’ve been fightin’ me on every move i make, t.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.” She leaned back in her chair, gesturing towards the papers she had been reading before. “Everyday it’s something else. We’re allowed to leave the reservation, but are regularly denied patronage and put at risk whenever we do. The treaties we made with the government establish us as a sovereign state, but that doesn’t stop them from trying to have a say in every decision we make or enforcing their federal laws on us. Then there’s the misinformation that continues to spread about us despite our best attempts to educate. Every step forward we take, we must take five steps backward to accommodate.”

“you can only do much. they’re pretty set in their ways.”

“That is why we must have our businesses open to the humans. On our land, with our safeguards in place, we may finally be able to progress without constantly looking over our shoulders and fearing for an attack. They will be able to see how we truly are, that our lives are not as different as they at first seem, and that we can live peacefully together on the surface.”

Man, it was just like talking to Paps. Don’t any of them get sick of looking on the bright side of things? Of being let down?

“Do you still believe that this is the wrong decision?” she prodded, seeming to see something on his face that gave him away.

He shrugged. “what do i know? i’m not the king.”

He probably shouldn’t have said it, but there it was. One of their old arguments raising its nasty head. Her expression instantly turned stormy.

“I understand your concerns, but the decision has already been made.” Her voice was like steel and she straightened up in her chair, squaring her shoulders as her title settled like lead upon them. “It cannot be undone.”

“it could be if you really wanted it to,” he said, voice flat. “you’re the queen and they don’t call him ol’ king fluffybuns for no reason.”

“It was my choice too. Do you really have so little confidence in our defenses? You helped work on them yourself.”

“you’re puttin’ a lot of faith in a guy that doesn’t even really do that stuff anymore. we did what we could, but we’re outnumbered a million to one. literally.”

“All breaches and possible bugs have been tested for vigorously and patched up. We have prepared for almost any possible situation.” Her voice suddenly turned gentle. “We have learned from our mistakes and I do not intend to repeat them.”

“they’ll figure somethin’ out.”  He shrugged, looking down at the floor. “they always do.”

“Sans, please. If you really—”

She stopped abruptly at the sound of footsteps dashing down the hallway towards them.

“Look, Daddy! Look!” Zuri flew back into the room, shoving a miniature guitar in his face and strumming it. The sound reverberated inside his skull and left a low, dull pounding behind his eye sockets. “Music! Music!”

“that’s really cool, silly buns. what do ya say?”

“Thank you, Mommy!”

The look he gave her was as desolate as a barren desert and Toriel had to throw a paw over her mouth to hide her smirk. It was revenge for all of the play-doh, paint, and home science experiment kits he and Paps had gotten for the other three. Had to be. If she thought he was going to get any rest now with that migraine machine in the house, she was dead wrong.

“Zuri, darling, how would you like to stay over for the night?”

“Yes! Please! We play music?”

“Yes, of course, but you must ask daddy if you may stay.”

Zuzu turned her big, blue eyes on him, her ears drooping in a well-practiced pout. “Stay night wiff Mommy?”

He blinked at Tori in surprise. It wasn’t that it was strange for her to take Zuzu for a night or two. They had gotten pretty good at kid-swapping and stepping in when the other had too much going on. Neither of them had been expecting so many little ones to keep track of.

“ya sure? you gotta lot goin’ on.”

“Yes, I do,” she agreed but then she nuzzled her face into Zuzu’s again. “But I miss having her around every day and you really need to get a good night’s rest.”

Sans went back and forth with himself for a moment. He already felt guilty about leaving Zuzu over there whenever he did, especially when he wouldn’t be busy, but she wasn’t wrong. He was running on empty already.

Before he could say anything, she reached over and put her huge, furry paw on top of his phalanges. All of the months of frustration and near silence seemed to melt away. At least for that moment.

“Please, Sans. Let me do this. You have had all of the children so many nights for me. It is the least I can do.”

“Yeah!” Zuzu agreed, even though she really didn’t get what she was agreeing with and was just trying to get her way. “Pwease, Daddy?”

He twisted his hand in Tori’s, gripping her paw back. Despite everything else, everything they just couldn’t see eye to eye on and all of the problems that showed their teeth the moment they stepped foot on the surface, at least they still had each other. He gave Zuzu a smile.

“yeah...yeah, okay. you can stay.”

She squealed and bounced on Tori’s lap excitedly, playing a short, discordant diddy on the guitar. Tori looked like she regretted her purchase already and Sans felt a little smug that she’d just screwed herself over for one night.

“Will you please get the others and wash your hands for dinner?” Tori gently instructed Zuzu and she happily toddled off, fingers working the strings the whole time. “Will you join us, Sans?”

“nah, if that’s cool with you. i dunno what paps is doin’ but i just wanna crash for the next twelve hours,” he said. “i’ll be by in the morning to get everybody to school.”

She still looked concerned, brows pinched but she nodded. “Very well, but please eat something.”

“aw, no need to worry, t,” he said, patting the front of his hoodie and letting it sink down into the hollow under his ribcage a little for effect. “i’ve been workin’ on my figure.”

She looked like she didn’t want to find that funny, but she snorted and then shot him a glare. “Sans.”

He shot her finger guns before slipping out of the kitchen to hunt the kids down. Zuzu had her own room at Tori’s place and thankfully had just as much stuff over there as she had at his place, so he didn’t need to bring anything back over. He found her washing her paws with Chara in the bathroom and they had a hand on her back to steady her while she stood on a small step stool to reach the sink.

“Are you staying for dinner?” they asked, looking up briefly before quickly returning their attention to the toddler. “Zuri said she’s staying over, so I’m assuming not.”

“no, i’m beat, but i came to say bye.”

“Bye,” they replied shortly and held the hand towel out for Zuzu to dry her hands on.

“Bye-bye, daddy,” Zuri said, hopping down from the stool and wrapping her still-damp paws around his middle. “Call to say night?”

“yeah, o’ course, silly buns.”

She buried her face in his hoodie and kissed. She sometimes seemed to forget that goodbye kisses worked better when she could reach his face, but he appreciated it and it was stupidly adorable. Death by adorable three year old. So he pulled her up into his arms and nuzzled his zygomatic arch against her cheek.

“be good for tori and don’t give asgore too much trouble.”

“Fluffybuns! He’s home now?”

He had to fight very hard to keep his snickers to himself. Being the little sponge that she was, she’d picked up the nickname easily. She _definitely_ didn’t hear it from him.

“no, but he’ll be here pretty soon. now go get settled at the table.”

She gave him another hug and a kiss before shimmying her way down to run back to the kitchen. That left him and Chara all alone. They were silently washing their hands, making sure to get under each and every fingernail. Then they dried them and hung the towel up on the rack, still without saying a word.

“Is there something you want?” they finally asked, still facing the wall.

Sans wished he knew what to say, but he just didn’t.

“just g’night, kiddo. see ya in the mornin’.”

Chara didn’t say anything and he left to find the other two. Things were always easier with them. He ruffled their hair and fur, teased them about taking away their video games if they didn’t do their homework, and walked down with them to the kitchen. Chara still wasn’t downstairs yet and Tori seemed concerned, trying to catch his eye, but he’d already had plenty of heavy conversation for the day and didn’t want to open that can of worms. So he said bye to all of them, gave Zuri another nuzzle, and left.

By the time he got back, it was already past six and he was totally wiped. He fell back on the couch, feeling his eye sockets closing as soon as his back hit the cushions. Paps came downstairs when he heard the door open.

“WHERE IS MY DARLING NIECE? YOU DID NOT FORGET HER AT DAYCARE, DID YOU?”

“that only happened one time, bro.”

And he didn’t forget her. It was a miscommunication mishap. That’s all.

“WELL, WHERE IS SHE THEN?”

“tori stole her for the night so i’m just gonna nap for a bit…” He kicked his shoes off and they landed with two, dull thuds against the carpet. “could ya please get the TV?”

He always slept better with some background noise and he just didn’t want to move.

“I SUPPOSE. THERE’S SOME POT PIE IN THE FRIDGE WHEN YOU WANT IT.”

“sweet. thanks. i’ll get some in a few.”

“OH! AND I’LL PUT THE FIRST TEST-RUN HOODIE RIGHT HERE FOR WHEN YOU WAKE UP.”

Sans cracked his eye sockets open, peering at the black garment resting over the back of the couch. He really didn’t want to open his sockets all of the way, so it looked a little blurry. Definitely wearable though.

“looks great. you did good. thanks, bro.

“OKAY! I WILL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR NAP!”

The TV turned on with a blip of sound, a few voices trickling out of it mid-conversation. Paps fussed around in the kitchen for a few minutes before disappearing upstairs. Minutes passed, his bones heavy and weary from moving almost nonstop for days. Weeks. Months. He slipped from consciousness to sleep quickly.

He probably would have stayed like that for the rest of the night.

Too bad he couldn’t sleep through the music blaring from his phone, sending his phalanges scrambling for it in his pocket even before his sockets had really even opened. He pulled it out to stare blearily at the contact across the front of the screen. Then he cursed and pressed it to the side of his skull.

“heeeeey.” His scratchy voice made it pretty obvious that he’d been dead to the world.

“Sorry to wake you, Sans, but Zuri wanted to say goodnight.” Tori sounded truly apologetic.

“no, s’good ya called. i crashed hard.”

“I figured so. Well, here she is.”

Zuri had a lot to say and seemed to be having fun even though he only understood about seventy-five percent of what she said. She loved that guitar a little too much and he didn’t think he was going to be able to convince her to keep it over at Tori’s place. Then she started to yawn.

“alright, silly buns, time to get to sleep.”

“‘m not tired.”

“oh yeah? ya sure about that?”

Her response was interrupted by another yawn and a laugh from Tori in the background.

“Say goodnight, Zuri. It is time for bed.”

“Ooookay. Night night, Daddy. Love you! Mwah!”

“love you too, zuzu. g’night. sleep tight.”

“Goodnight, Sans,” Toriel chimed in.

They hung up and he laid there for a few minutes. Missing her like crazy and _almost_ wishing he hadn’t let her stay over after all. What a sucker. It was pretty nice to be able to get some shut-eye though and he still had the rest of the night to himself.

But his brain wouldn’t shut the hell up now that he was awake.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the kids, the possible beer deal, and the forms he still had to sign that were sitting somewhere on his desk. Reconstructing and deconstructing his part in the reservation defenses, trying to find any little hiccup before the official opening. All of those humans had seemed interested in the club. If they all really came then it would be real, their security measures would either hold up or…

Probably or.

He groaned and sat up. If he wasn’t going to get any more rest then he might as well get something accomplished. He pulled the new hoodie off of the couch, it still smelling warm from the heat press, and looked down at it with a chuckle. Paps did a perfect job, as always. Sending a message to Paps to tell him that, he exchanged his old hoodie for the new one, swiped the piece of paper off the coffee table, and headed for the door.

Who needed sleep to function anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder how many questions you guys have now? No worries! All will be answered in due time! I'd love to hear what you guys think about this chapter if you're willing to share. Also, Sans' POV is really a lot of fun to write. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for all of the support and reading this silly, indulgent story of mine. I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I am.


	8. Two For The Price Of One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some unexpected midnight shopping leads to you and Sans getting to know one another a little better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Surprise, surprise.

Some newbie had called in to say that they were going to be late and there was no one else that could come in, so you had to stay until whatever time they decided to show up. It was funny how when you really needed time off or for someone to switch shifts with you, no one could ever do it. But you were always the go-to when they needed their hours covered.

Oh well. The paychecks were nice.

It was pretty dead in the store by eleven, as it usually was during the week. The only people who really came in were college kids trying to get booze before the cut off time or the occasional third-shifter. When you had first started working there you had found the silent, empty aisles to be eerie and hated working night shifts. Now that you had been at the store for a few years you appreciated quiet and calm, enjoying the absence of too many customers buzzing around with a million questions and blaming you personally when things weren’t exactly the way they wanted it.  
Like you had any control over the quality of the organic eggs or the possessed, vindictive self-checkout.

Night time was for restocking shelves, filling the gaps left from a day’s worth of grabby hands and making sure the items that were going to expire soonest were the first ones the customers saw. You had already done the entire canned goods section and had dragged the dolly full of boxes over to the condiments so you could finish that off before you left. If your coworker ever showed up that is. You had only managed to put one, single jar of pickles on the shelf when a voice spoke up from behind you.

“got five bucks to spare?”

You whirled. 

“Sans, holy shit!”

If you had still been holding that jar you would have chucked it across the store, Babe Ruth style. At first, you wanted to feel bad for being so jumpy, it was the Papyrus situation all over again, but the way he was smirking up at you as he leaned low over the handle of the shopping cart told you that his sudden appearance hadn’t been totally unplanned.

“Why are you always trying to kill me?” you demanded way too breathlessly to be taken seriously, heart pounding in your ears.

“hey, i looked it up. you won’t die from a little scare.” Then he narrowed his eye sockets. “most likely. s’long as your health isn’t bad...it’s not, right?”

He actually took the time to do that? That was weirdly thoughtful of him. Even though he was using the information for evil, at least he had tried to make sure he wouldn’t kill you in the process of messing with you.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m healthy exactly. I  _ do  _ have this condition…”

“no, ya don’t,” he quickly denied, but when you just stared back at him he started to look less sure, the fluorescent lights overhead reflecting harshly off the sweat beading on the top of his skull. “what? do ya really? no shit? why didn’t you say anything about it last time—” 

You couldn’t hold the straight-face anymore, a giggle burbling out of you, and he instantly slumped his face down onto the arm he had resting on the cart, groaning.

“oh my god. i think _ i  _ almost had a heart attack.”

His obvious, unexpected relief was just too funny...and a little touching. What sort of person would you be if you didn’t tease him about him?

“Aw, were you worried about this horrible, awful human?”

He snorted hard and his eye lights quickly shot away from your face, as if caught off guard by your comment. “i dunno ‘bout all that. i just know i’m not gonna go down for murdering you via heart failure.” Then he looked back at you and batted his eye sockets way too well for someone lacking eyelashes. “i’m too pretty for prison.” 

“Uhhh huuuh, suuure.”

He didn’t disagree anymore and you grinned as you peered down into his cart. It wasn’t very full yet, but it had a little bit of everything already. There were a few pre-packaged things, like yogurt and pizza rolls, but for the most part, it was fresh produce and meat. All pretty normal stuff. The question he had asked before, previously dismissed due to your combined silliness, came back to mind. Five bucks wasn’t going to cover that.

“Did you forget your wallet or something?” you asked. “Mine’s in my locker, but I can go get it if you stay right here.”

You knew he was good for it. He was paying you way too well for it to be otherwise and you had decided to be strict about saving the excess funds while they were still coming in, so you could lend the guy some cash.

Sans’ brow bones furrowed for a moment before he shook his head.  “heh, no. i’m good. i was talkin’ about the money you stashed in my hood the other day. not sure how you managed to pull that one off, but i was kinda impressed.”

“Oh, you finally found it!” The reminder of your little game brought a smile to your lips as you quickly stuffed a few more jars of pickles on the shelf while you talked. “I’ll never reveal my secrets.”

Honestly, you had impressed yourself. You’d been itching to hide the money in his hood for weeks and whenever you had tried to sneak up behind him he would immediately call you out on it as if he could somehow see through the back of his head even though he swore that he couldn’t. Then the other day he had called you into his office to have you help pick out the couches and chairs he was ordering, staying slouched over the desk while you stood beside him to look at the catalog together. Slipping it inside his hood had been a breeze while he was too busy arguing with you over why bean bags were clearly the superior seating option.

You vetoed that one. 

“I was actually starting to wonder if you had washed it.”

“nah, paps saw it before he threw it in.”

Speaking of hoods, now that you were really looking at him you realized that he was wearing a black hoodie rather than one of his usual blue ones. He looked totally wiped too, those circles under his eye sockets looking deeper and darker than ever to match his new look, but you probably weren’t supposed to point that out so you focused back on the hoodie. You easily recognized the logo and one of the jokes the two of you had come up with just a few days ago. He had gone with his favorite one of the night, compliments of yourself:  _ Metamorphically speaking, this place rocks. _

“How in the world do you have one made already?” you asked.

“heh, ya like it?” He pulled it out from the bottom to let you have a better look at it. “paps wants to make ‘em so he did this one as a practice run. pretty happy with how it came out.”

“It's perfect,” you agreed. “Was he as annoyed with them as you hoped?”

He snickered. “oh yeah. complained the whole time.”

You laughed as you shoved more cans onto the shelf, easily able to imagine the tall skeleton grumbling about terrible puns as he worked. His personal distaste aside, the hoodie really looked like he put effort into making it come out just the way Sans wanted. It also looked super warm and cozy, especially appealing in the always-cold grocery store.

“So where’s mine?” you challenged playfully. “I mean, I did help you come up with the material for them.”

He held out his hand, phalanges splayed. “that’ll be five dollars.”

“Hold on. You’ve been telling me that I need the money more than you and now you’re trying to take five  _ more  _ dollars from me?”

“okay, you’re a pretty good haggler. twenty dollars.” 

“That’s cold. What about my friends and family discount?”

“oh right. i forgot. thirty-five dollars.”

“I don’t think that’s how discounts work. Are you sure you don’t need me to go grab my wallet?” you teased and he just chuckled. “Tell you what. You just keep that five bucks and take it as payment for the hoodie.”

“nah, you’ll find it sooner or later and paps said the next one is all yours.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” you said, really wishing you had it right at that moment and you ran your hands up the goosebumps on your arms. Just thinking of it was making you feel even colder and you decided to change the subject. “So what are you doing here so late anyways?”

He shrugged. “easier that way. less of a hassle when it’s not so busy.”

You nodded slowly before clarifying, “Sooo...less humans to freak out while you’re shopping?” 

He pointed one phalange at you. “bingo.” 

Everything in your stomach liquified and started to boil. With nowhere to turn that anger, a few of the jars might have got shoved to the back of the shelf with a little more gusto than strictly necessary. 

“That’s stupid as hell.” You turned back towards him, hands on your hips. “Why do you even bother coming here instead of the stores on the reservation? Are they all still closed?”

“eh, some of ‘em are open, but shouldn’t i be able to go to whatever store i wanna?” he asked.

“You absolutely should and can,” you agreed quickly before he could think you thought otherwise. “I just don’t know if I’d be able to deal with it. You always seem so...whatever about it.”

Too whatever honestly. Now that you knew he had been there to witness your initial reaction to a skeleton monster, you could appreciate the way he had acted towards you afterward a lot more. He hired you, joked around with you, and was overly generous with his money when he had no good reason to be. Just the fact that he was talking to you right that moment, with no mention of Rock Bottom or the work you were doing for him, was more kindness than you would’ve ever expected from him. He was doing too good of a job tolerating you and the rest of humanity with a smile. 

“you get used to it,” he said simply as if it truly were as easy as that. He nudged his cart closer to you and grabbed one of the jars you’d just put on the shelf. “‘sides, there are things here that i can’t get back at home yet. speaking of, wanna help me find some of ‘em? i can’t remember humans brands for anything.”

Was he trying to change the subject? You let your train of thought be derailed for the moment, glancing down at your still half-empty box and the several more underneath that were completely full, all waiting to be shelved before you left for the night. You weren’t a huge fan of leaving something unfinished, but on the other hand, you really didn’t want to leave Sans hanging. You were also supposed to be off already so making your coworker finish it wasn’t too terrible, right?

“Sure, what do you need?”

Helping customers was a part of your job, after all.

Sans went down the rest of his list, one item at a time, and you helped him locate each thing in the store. As you did, he told you of monster brands that were very similar or could be compared to the ones in the store and threw in as many food-related jokes as he could get away with. You wanted to know what a full cart in a monster grocery store looked like in comparison since it was mostly just the human brand names that threw him off, they were all completely unfamiliar to him, but he said there were plenty of things that they never had or that were hard to come by before coming to the surface.

Mostly fresh produce.

“I guess Papyrus is still a growing boy,” you said playfully, helping Sans put several jugs of milk into the cart.

“yeah, him and my rugrats are eating me out of house and home.”

You were already nodding in understanding before his words fully sank in and you looked at him, wide-eyed. “You have kids?”

A mental reel of tiny, baby skeletons played in your mind. It was hard to envision one so lively as the skeleton brothers were. Was that how it worked? Maybe all of those people hounding you for smutty drawings of Papyrus were actually onto something if a skeleton could somehow procreate.

…

Nope. No way in hell. Time to drop that line of thought before it became impossible to make eye contact with either of them ever again.

His eye lights scanned the aisle you were in, still totally empty except for the two of you, before coming back to rest on you.

“yeah, four.”

The second jug almost slipped between your fingertips.

“ _ Four _ ?!” 

He quirked a brow bone at how loudly you asked that. “yup. not a fan of kids?” 

“No, no, it’s not that! I just didn’t even know you had kids, let alone four of them. That’s a lot.” 

When he didn’t reply right away, your heart spasmed nervously in your chest and you hurried on to explain yourself before he could get the wrong idea.

“It’s a lot for a human, I mean. We used to have bigger families with five-plus kids a few generations ago, but any more people are waiting longer to start families and having fewer kids when they do. Everyone I know has three, tops, and they’re a minority. I don’t know if it’s different for monsters, so I’m sorry if that was rude.”

Thankfully, Sans didn’t seem offended.

“nah, it's a lot for us too. wasn’t really the plan, but that’s how it goes.”

Now you had even more questions that you couldn’t ask him. How did reproduction work if they didn’t have internal organs? Wait, did they even need to have sex to make babies and if so, was there some form of contraception? Then again, he had said that it wasn’t the plan to have so many kids, so maybe not? It had to involve magic somehow, but you couldn’t even begin to comprehend how.

“Umm....” 

Your mouth opened and started forming sounds all on its own before you pressed your lips tightly together, cutting yourself off. He was quietly looking at you, expecting some form of response because that was how a normal conversation was supposed to work. You tried to open your mouth again, but the questions kept bubbling up to the back of your throat. You were just so curious!

Don’t ask.  Don’t Ask. Think of something else. Don’t. Ask. Him. 

Say anything else! 

What you managed to blurt out was: “If I had four kids by 28, I think I’d be dead.”

You had been focusing so hard on not asking him about magical monster baby making and that was all you could think of? Whatever. It was better than the alternative. 

He cocked his head, his smile looking lopsided like that. “you didn’t know i have kids, but ya know my age?” 

Yeeeeah, that probably came off really weird. Good job.

“Papyrus, Nolan, and I were talking about ours a few weeks ago and he told me yours.” You hoped that made it a little less creepy. “I never would have been able to guess either of your ages if he hadn’t.”

Whoops, was that rude too? You really needed to work on your filter. Before you could worry about it long Sans chuckled and shuffled over to pile some cheese into the cart.

“heh, same. like i know usually kids are smaller for you guys but other than that it’s free game,” he said. “when i saw how old you were on your profile it kinda weirded me out because your face makes no sense to me.”

He pretty much echoed your previous thoughts about his own face! What a relief. It was nice to know that you could be frank with one another about those sort of things without stepping on any toes.

“There are some humans that are smaller their wholes lives, but not many. You guys have a lot of different monsters that are always smaller, right?”

“oh yeah. loads.”

“So how do you  _ know _ ?”

“well, every type of monster has different traits and stuff that give away their age, but it’s impossible to keep track of ‘em all so our kids wear striped shirts.”

“Striped shirts? All the time?”

“yup. lets us know who to keep an eye on.”

“That’s a lot of stripes. How long do they have to wear them?”

“eh, that's a personal choice for the parents so it depends. paps finally convinced me around...fourteen maybe?” He shrugged. “he was one of the last ones in his class, so i figured it was prolly time.”

Papyrus had to convince Sans? Not their parents?

“That’s really interesting. I didn’t know that,” you said. “Well, just so you know, grey or balding hair usually means someone is older. Wrinkles in the skin too. You obviously already know about the sizes too, but there are always exceptions to everything so proceed with caution.”

“huh. good to know.” He nodded, sounding thoughtful.

“What about skeletons?” 

“well, me and paps are the only skeletons and you already know our ages, but our bones are thinner and more flexible when we’re still growing. not super bendy or nothin’, but it’s a noticeable difference for us. plus we have the size thing too.”

He and Papyrus were the only skeletons, huh? That must mean his kids didn’t take after him. That was kind of sad. You wanted to see a teeny, baby skeleton. 

You looked at Sans again. He was the older of the skeleton brothers and yet he was undoubtedly the shorter of the two. His grin went crooked as he picked up on your scrutiny.

“if ya ask me if i’m still growing, i’ll run you over,” he threatened, inching the cart just a little closer and you stepped back, laughing.

“Okay, but why is Papyrus so huge?” 

“dunno. like i said, we’re the only ones so ‘m not sure what the average height is ‘sposed to be,” he said. “plus i made him eat way better than i did. heh, he really hated peas when he was a kid.”

It was seriously starting to sound like their parents weren’t in the picture. You thought maybe Sans could see that you were making that connection because he looked away and started slowly pushing his cart away.

“anyway, i think one of my kids is messin’ with me. there’s some weird stuff on here.” Sans pulled the crumpled piece of notebook paper up to his face. “like… oh...or-ee...oreos? what in the hell is that even supposed to be? i thought it was a cereal, ya know, cuz the ‘o’s’, but i didn’t see anything like that down that way.” 

At first, you thought he was just pulling your leg again, but he sounded and looked genuinely befuddled.

“You’ve never had Oreos before?” you asked, fighting the urge to let your jaw hang agape.

“no?”

“Okay, I’ll take you to find them but you  _ have  _ to promise to eat one as soon as you get home.”

Sans’ smile went a little flat. “what? is it gross or somethin’?”

“No! You just have to try them. They’re really, really good. You need milk for them too.”

“so it  _ is  _ cereal?”

“No!”

“...what the hell...” He actually scratched the side of his skull.

“They’re chocolate cookies with cream filling.”

That explanation seemed to interest him.

“oooooh. okay. now you’re makin’ some sense.”

While you were in the snack aisle, you heard a familiar, persistent buzzing noise. Even though you hadn’t felt it, your hand immediately flew to pat against your pocket out of habit, but your own phone was still and silent inside. You looked over to see Sans pulling his own out, that crease forming between his eye sockets. You weren’t really being nosy, your eyes were just automatically drawn to the movement, and instead of a name, words flashed across his screen.

_ don’t be stupid _

He sighed, swiped to ignore the call, and stuffed it into his pocket.

A chorus of noisy owls had taken residence in your head and your tongue was practically dancing behind your teeth to ask him what had earned that person such an interesting monicker in his phone, but you bit it back. If he wasn’t going to tell you then you clearly didn’t need to know. You were ready to put it from your mind when his phone started vibrating again and Sans stopped, pulling it out to check once more. It still read the same.

_ don’t be stupid _

Sans let it finish ringing out this time. Then a few seconds after the call ended, the buzzing started right back up, but it wasn’t another call. They were texts and there seemed to be a lot of them popping up on his screen one right after the other.

“Wow, you’re awful popular for this time of night,” you tried lightly.

“nah, she’s just drunk and...bonely.”

You thought that maybe one of the message previews actually said the last part from the way his voice went soft at the end and his eye lights skittered away from the screen. It was the least enthusiastic pun he'd ever delivered at the very least. Then he shut it off without opening any of the messages and shoved it back into his pocket.

“‘kay, so...cheetos? that one’s gotta be a cereal, right?”

It was obvious that he was trying to dodge the conversation that time. Even though he was still smiling, always smiling, the lights in his sockets had faded to almost nothing amongst the darkness surrounding them. One look at that and suddenly you weren’t very curious anymore.

“Nope! They’re cheese-puffs. They should be over in the next aisle.”

“man, you guys are awful at namin’ things.”

You were still helping him when you spotted the late newbie, you thought maybe her name was Leah, coming out of the break room. 

“Hey! I didn’t get very far with the condiments!”

She stopped, looking at you as if she didn’t understand what you were saying. “Okay?”

“I’m helping a customer so you’ll have to finish it up!” You continued, trying to make yourself clear. “Sorry!”

Her sweet, round face immediately soured and she opened her mouth, who knows what ready to fly out of it but whatever it was probably wasn't anything good. Then her eyes swept over Sans beside you and her jaw snapped audibly shut, the distinct clink of teeth on teeth reaching you across the several feet that separated you. Her face puckered even more and she turned abruptly away with a huff, grumbling under her breath as she stalked off towards the direction of the condiment aisle.

“...creepy thing shouldn’t even be here…” was all you were able to make out.

“real pleasant, that one,” Sans mumbled and you could hear his paper list crumple together as he shoved it back into his pocket.

You were pretty sure there were still some things left on there.

“I’m so sorry. That was totally uncalled for and I’ll talk to my manager about her,” you said, shooting a glare of your own at her retreating back. “And I’m definitely not covering for her anymore.”

“were ya coverin’ for her tonight?” he asked, looking up at you.

“Yeah, I had to stay until she got here because she was running late. Sorry I didn’t do her job for her, I guess. She can be mad at me, but she shouldn’t take it out on you.”

“it’s no biggie,” he said with a sigh. “prolly should get going. it’s late. i’m sure you wanna get home too.”

“If there are things that you still want to get, I’m happy to help,” you pressed gently.

There was no need to cut his shopping trip short because of one asshole.

Sans seemed to chew on your words for a moment, his hand moving to his pocket and you could hear the crinkling of the paper inside. Then he slowly pulled it back out and looked up at you in a way you almost would’ve considered sheepish, but it was hard to tell with him.

“ya sure? i mean, it’s not the important stuff or anything.”

“Come on. You have four children at home. Do you  _ really  _ want to skimp on the snacks?”

His smile broadened a little.

“heh, yeah, guess you’re right. thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

You quickly finished up his list, said good night, and clocked out. On the way home, you stopped at the gas station to fill up your tank because there was no way you were making it to school with the little needle on “E.” As you popped open the fuel door on the side of the van, something flopped out and landed on the asphalt next to your tire.

A five dollar bill.

“No fucking way,” you whispered to yourself, leaning down to pick up the wrinkled bill.

Well, Sans  _ had  _ told you that you would find it sooner or later. While you filled up your tank, you had your phone in hand to type up an email to him. It was late and not at all business-related, but he sort of had it coming.

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Did you put the money there before or after the shopping trip? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ before. lol damn. that was faster than i thought it would be.  _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ The van is a total gas hog. Did Papyrus tell you that I worked there? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ see. you definitely need it more than i do and no. total coincidence. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Oh no. In your dreams. You’re getting it back. Just wait. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ why you are so stubborn? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I don’t want to hear that from you! Don’t forget to try the oreos! _

He didn’t answer back before you started driving back home. You were already in bed and setting your morning alarms when he finally replied.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ soooo...i might have eaten all of the oreos already. my kids are going to be pissed. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ You’d better get some more or be prepared for a riot of childish proportions. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ i’d probably just eat all of those too. i think i’ve developed a problem and i’m blaming you. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Just wait until you try girl scout cookies. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ are they as good as those things were? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Better. And they have a bunch of different flavors. Next time we get together I’ll bring you some to try. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ are you trying to fatten me up for winter or something? _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Oh, for sure. You just don’t have enough meat on your bones. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ ha, good one.  _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I aim to please. For now though I need to sleep or I’m going to be dead for tomorrow. You should probably get some sleep too. Goodnight, Sans. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ no promises. night. _

You plugged your phone in and rolled over, snuggling into your covers as your mind began to drift. You’d have to come up with some way to sneak the five dollars back to him, but you’d leave the plotting to when you were more awake. At that moment all your fuzzy, sleepy brain could hold onto was how much you enjoyed your off-kilter conversations with the skeleton. Even though you had wanted to ask if he had heard back from the potential beer vendor, the conversation never once shifted to the club. Talking to him was getting easier and easier whenever you were together. You still slipped up and said the wrong things sometimes, but he was more than willing to laugh at you about it rather than hold it against you.

Maybe you would end up with two skeleton friends after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against monsters; curiosity about monster reproduction; display of prejudice
> 
>  
> 
> I wasn't sure if I was going to keep a lot of this chapter the way it came out because it didn't do much for the plot, but I kept it as it was because I love the interactions and the relationship development. Definitely all good things, so I hope you enjoyed this (mostly) fun chapter and thank you so much for reading.
> 
> Fun fact: I actually do have a heart-related condition. It's actually an autonomic nervous system condition that affects my heart called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome or POTS, but the end result is that when my heart rate goes up too fast while I'm standing I actually pass out. Like a fainting goat. So sometimes people scaring me is really not great, haha.


	9. Glow Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get to meet some new people and find out just how much things are really changing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

“Still no word from Over the Hop?”

“nope, not a peep. still got a good feelin’ about ‘em?”

“I do. It’s only been a few days. I’m sure we’ll hear back soon.”

“if you say s—ow.”

“Oops, sorry!”

Sans shot you a blank look from the other side of the box that you were carrying into the club together, each of you at one end and it was hefty enough to need both of you to lift it. He had ended up being the one walking backward from your van and you kept accidentally crowding him into every possible obstacle that he could run into along the way. This time it was the actual rock wall somehow. 

“I’m not doing it on purpose!”

“uh huh.”

“I’m not!”

His eye lights locked with your eyes for a moment before his grin slanted sharply to one side.

“ya know, i think you got this.”

“Wait, Sans, don’t—!”   

But it was too late. Sans had already let go and stepped away. You tightened your grip, fingernails digging desperately into the cardboard in a vain attempt to keep it up by yourself. You were waiting for the fall, the crash, the likely smashing of your toes. Instead, the box stayed exactly where it was, surrounded by a faint outline of blue luminescence. Curling his hand towards himself like he was beckoning it over, the box easily slipped out of your grasp and coasted lazily through the air towards him. The look on his face was smug, brow bones raised and one socket closed as he waited for your reaction.

“...”

You promised yourself that you wouldn’t flip out...

“Magic! Oh my god, magic. I knew you could do it but it’s right here in front of my freaking face. That box is floating right now. Right there…. _with_ _magic_!”

Sans probably wasn’t proud of himself either. He totally lost it. He had to let the box gently drift back down to the ground and covered his face with his hand as he dissolved into laughter. While he struggled to regain his composure, you were too fascinated to feel a shred of embarrassment. 

Magic!

You tucked your fingers under the box and lifted experimentally. You expected it to be just as heavy as before, but it was still glowing and shockingly it readily came up when you tugged. Way, way too fast actually. In seconds it had flown out of your hands and up over your head, rocketing up into the clear blue overhead with no sign of stopping any time soon.

“Whoa! Uh...help?”

Still giggling a little Sans looked over between his phalanges and his titters broke off abruptly.

“oh. uh, whoops.”

He lifted his hand and the box’s hasty ascent slowed to a stop. Then it came back down, right into your waiting hands. It felt lighter than a feather, barely needing to rest on top of your fingertips to stay up. He was just standing there and watching you with a grin like it was no big deal. You guessed it really wasn’t for him.

“So you can just move whatever you want?” you asked, unable to resist the urge to curl it towards your chest with one hand like a bodybuilder. It reminded you of moving things underwater, but without the resistance. “Like telekinesis?”

“kinda.”

“I guess you don’t technically have a brain...so it’s not like telekinesis?”

He chuckled at your persistent questions. “remember the gmds?”

“Yeah?”

“it’s more like that.”

Mind. Blown.

“Hold on. Are you telling me that you guys can mess with gravity just like that?” you asked, spinning the box on the tip of your finger like a professional basketball player. 

Even though the box was wide and bulky, it was no effort at all to balance it. The impulse to dribble it just to see what would happen was almost irresistible. It would probably be fine, right? You eyed the “fragile” label slapped haphazardly across the side. Hmm...maybe not.

“nah, not everybody can. every monster’s magic is different. you got some types that run in families, but it’s still not exactly identical.”

“Why’s that?” you asked, only slightly distracted.

“‘cuz no two souls are the same.”

The mention of souls startled you out of your anti-gravity playtime. That made sense. No one looked or talked exactly the same, so why would their magic and souls be any different? You had honestly forgotten about souls though. Philosophic concept no more, but proven and tangible fact. They were mentioned a lot in the news and the outcry had thundered across the globe, religious leaders refusing to believe the “total culmination of a person” was something so simple as little, candy-colored heart.

At least that’s how it looked when they showed one on TV forever ago. You didn’t really know much about them. Sans probably could tell you more, he seemed to be really good at explaining things in a way that made sense to you.

“Are souls really hearts?” you asked.

He seemed caught off guard by the question, the box suddenly feeling like lead in your hands, but it only lasted a second and he snorted as it went light again. “not really. you see the press conference we had on 'em last year?”

“Yeah, they just showed an image of a yellow heart and said that was a human soul.”

“yeah. kinda hard to show what they’re really like that way.”

“So they’re not hearts?”

“not your sorta hearts, but yeah, they are. they’re just more than that.”

You wondered if that’s where the anatomically incorrect depiction of a heart had originally come from, but that wasn’t really helping you understand them. “More how?”

He cocked his head. “it’s you. all of you but the physical stuff. think that picture you saw really did that justice?” Then he smirked a little. “heh, justice.”

“...what?”

He just shook his head. “anyway souls are kinda hard to explain. even for us. we just know we got ‘em and that we’re more in tune with ‘em than you are.”

You frowned. “I just don’t get it?”

“get what?”

“I know you guys don’t believe in human religions, so what’s the point? The purpose of having a soul?”

“there’s no point in just being yourself?” he asked. “you’re the only one that gets to decide what your purpose is.”

Huh. That was...something to think about.

“Oh man, this got a lot deeper than I meant for it to.”

“soul stuff is like that.” Then he looked over his shoulder at the door to the club before turning back to you. “and just so ya know, souls are kinda...uh, a touchy subject for us. might not wanna push people to talk about ‘em too much.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize.”

Sans didn’t seem bothered really, but the way his smile broadened made it seem as though he appreciated the apology. “nah, i know. no need to say sorry.”

It was quiet for a few, awkward beats while you tried to figure out how to respond and you lifted the box in your hands again. “So you’re the only one that can do this?” 

“guess so.”

You grinned at him. “Do I even need to tell you how cool that is?”

He scratched at a hard, rounded cheekbone as he looked away and you thought maybe you saw the faintest hint of color on his face, like a powder blue sheen, but maybe it was just the way the sunlight was hitting his bones. “everybody’s got their thing. anyway, we’d better get inside. they’re prolly wonderin’ where we’re at.”

The box flew from your hands again, quicker this time. Sans walked and it followed behind him like it was tied to him with an invisible leash.

“Who?”

Since Sans seemed to want to take a crack at everything he needed to do himself first and only hired out if he absolutely had to, there weren’t usually any other monsters around. Plumbing was one thing he didn’t even want to attempt though and the bathrooms weren’t in working order at first. When you half-seriously, half-playfully reminded him that humans needed to use the restroom regularly, he got a crew in there to get them up and running right away. You were working upstairs though, so you didn’t really get to interact with any of them. You had also been too nervous then to ask if monsters even needed bathrooms.

It still really bothered you.

“some of our buddies are helpin’ out.”

“Oh, sweet.”

You would finally get to meet some other monsters.

He opened up the door, letting the box go in first and you followed after them, still completely fascinated by the small miracle happening before your eyes. The glow lit up the walls of the cave and hovered along with barely any direction from Sans’ hand. It seemed totally effortless. 

“Real quick question.”

He hummed from ahead of you.

“Why didn’t you just magic the box to start with?”

“it was funnier that way.”

“...really?” 

He shot a grin over his shoulder at you and you gave him a dirty look in return.

“and extra magic wears me out faster.”

“Oh, right. Extra magic. Because you’re already magic. Weird!”

He chuckled and you went through the arch into the main cavern.

This time when you walked inside you could see that more speakers had been installed along the cavern ceiling, but especially near the stage. There were still no lights yet apart from the portable ones, but they were the most intricate part of the whole set up and were still in the middle of being put together. As he had said, it wasn’t empty. Someone was in the process of moving all of the tables onto several tarps laid out across the floor and they stopped in the middle of their task, one of the massive tables under each arm.

You recognized her immediately.

Wearing a black tank top, shorts, and flip-flops that allowed you to see that she was covered head to webbed toes in blue scales and her shock of red hair was tied back in a high ponytail. Rather than ears, she had fins protruding from the sides of her head, gills on her neck and an eyepatch covering one eye. She could be no one else but Papyrus’ close friend Undyne and she stopped dead as soon as she saw you. 

“Hold up, who let the  _ human  _ in here?” she asked, leering at you with one single, amber eye. 

There was no missing the distaste in her voice and expression, the combination more than enough to freeze your steps in place. Your eyes lowered to the two tables she still had tucked under her arms, easily holding them like they were nothing at all. She clearly wasn’t someone that you wanted to piss off.

“UNDYNE! DO NOT BE RUDE!” Papyrus was quick to come to your defense from beside her, looking as if he would have his hands on his hips if they weren’t otherwise occupied holding a table of their own.

“Oh yeah?” She scowled from you to him. Then back to you. “And why shouldn’t I?”

Alarm bells were going off in your head. The conversation wasn’t going very well at all and despite her thin build, you knew appearances could be deceiving. Especially so with monsters. From the few videos you watched in Papyrus’ workout series, you knew she could more than keep up with Papyrus’ extreme regimen. The muscles in her arms rippled under her scales as if to back that up. Or was it just magic, since they had no muscles? 

Either way, you knew she could easily crush you like a grape.

“easy, undyne.”

Sans had stopped beside you, still casually keeping the box in the air. He pointed a bony thumb over his shoulder in your direction.

“this is the human paps was telling ya about,” he explained and then introduced you. “she’s the one doing all our decoratin’ and advertisin’ stuff.”

She set the tables down with some force, the stone on stone thudding dully, and gave you another cursory look over with her single eye before she slowly approached. She was certainly less skittish than Sans had been at first. Or...maybe not skittish at all as she planted her feet wide apart and crossed her arms over her chest as soon as she was close enough to loom over you.

It took everything you had not to step back as she invaded your personal space. Despite her obvious intentions to intimidate you and boy, was it working, you probably weren’t going to win any brownie points with her by cowering away. You straightened your spine, squared your shoulders, and met her gaze with as much bravado as you could muster.

“You’re Undyne, right?”

Her singular stare narrowed again. “How do ya know my name, huh?”

“WE JUST SAID IT!” Papyrus helpfully supplied from the back. “TWICE!”

“Oh. Yeah. Hmph.” She didn’t seem appeased by that answer though.

“I’ve seen you in some of Papyrus’ stuff too and he’s told me a lot about you,” you offered. “It’s nice to actually meet you.”

That seemed to thaw her a little, her cheeks darkening into a barely noticeable purple hue against the deep blue of her scales.

“I guess if these boneheads are putting up with you then you can’t be too bad,” she sniffed, still sounding sour about it.

“Um, thanks?” You were unsure if you should take that as a positive thing. 

Once all signs of a brawl were dissipated, Sans moved further in towards the bar and set the box down on top of the tarp. It was meticulously laid flat and taped around the edges, clearly Papyrus’ handiwork. Sans opened up the box to reveal several cans of paint inside and you went straight for them. You pulled one out and turned it over in your hands. They didn’t have labels, which was a little ominous, but it made you all the more curious to see what was inside.

“think that’s enough?” he asked.

“Um, it should be, but we’ll have to see how fast it goes.” You looked around slowly, inspecting everything that you were going to use it for. “You're sure this paint will glow in the dark permanently?” 

“it should. might fade over time and need touched up, but they used this for the glyphs down in waterfall hundreds of years ago and they're still good.”

“Glyphs?” you asked.

Undyne answered first this time as she hurried past with even more tables, “Yeah, we had the history of the monster-human war written on the walls with that paint down in Waterfall. So we never forget!"

“Oh.”

What did you say to that? 

“Well, at least we know it’s good quality.” Talking about anything else seemed like a good idea. “How are the lights coming?”

“pretty good. just a lotta small wires, but we’ll get it.” He was already walking away. “i’ll be up there doing that. holler if ya need me.”

“Sure thing.”

To be honest you were a little nervous about being left with Undyne. Papyrus was around too, but he was coming and going as much as she was. It wasn’t that you thought that she was going to outright slug you or anything. It was just obvious that she wasn’t a huge fan of humans and you just so happened to be exactly that. That would make anyone anxious, right?

“how’s it goin’ up here?” he called to someone else as he started up the stairs.

“G-good...just slow.”

You looked up towards the second floor at the new, soft voice, surprised to see three yellow spikes and a pair of oval spectacles peeking down at you over the railing. That was all you could make out because when you caught their eye they audibly squeaked and ducked down as if you hadn’t seen them. At least you weren’t the only one that had acted scared at first.

“That’s my girl, Alphy,” Undyne stopped beside you, looking up at where the monster had disappeared from. “She’s a little on the shy side at first.”

Her girl? So they were together! You smiled at that, thinking of Erin and Amber, two of your roommates. They were going to love that when you told them.

“No worries, I’m new so I get it,” you said. “I hope I can meet her later...when she’s ready, of course.”

Undyne looked at you for a moment, her single amber eye locked onto your own. Why did all monsters look at you like that? It wasn’t quite as intense as Sans had been the first time, but it was still unnerving to be looked at with so much focus. Finally, she blinked and flashed you a small, serrated smile.

“Alright, let’s get to work then, punk!”

The fish monster’s show of strength became all the more apparent when you tried to move one of the tables and only managed to scoot it a few inches. She cackled at you and easily scooped it up under her arm, just like before, and toted it off. You decided to leave that task to her and Papyrus.

While they did that, you opened up one of the cans of paint. You couldn’t tell what color it was until you did. As the lid popped off you were greeted with the most beautiful luminescent, almost-neon violet that illuminated the inside of the can. The others were just as brilliant, a variation in different shades of violet, pink, blue, and green. You dipped a thin paint brush in and marked a small line across your arm, it glowing just as brightly there.

“Oooh my goood! Sans!”

His head popped over the railing, skull creased with concern. “yeah?”

“Look how bright it is!”

You could hear him snort even from all the way up there. “i told you it really glows. didn’t believe me, huh?”

“I did! I just didn’t know it glowed like  _ this _ ! Magic is so awesome. I want to use this for my own paintings.”

“i can prolly get ya some.”

“Really?” Your mind was already racing ahead, thinking to all of the possibilities as you stared at the thin, glowing line on your arm. “Wait, do you think this stuff is safe to put on my skin?”

“dunno, but maybe don’t get anymore on ya ‘till ya see how it reacts first.”

“Good idea.”

He shook his head at you and disappeared back behind the railing. Undyne was giving you another weird look, but this one was a lot less tense. Then she shrugged and went back to moving tables. You took that as your cue to get down to business. You busted out the rest of the other supplies you’d been keeping there and changed into a pair of overalls, getting right to it. After all the tables were moved, Papyrus joined you while Undyne kept tarping and taping edges behind you.

You really wished Sans would take advantage of the completed sound system and play something. It would have probably sounded really good now that the whole place was decked out. Since he would only do that when no one else was there for some reason, conversation helped fill the empty air and Papyrus and Undyne had plenty to say.

“Yup! That’s right! Me and this nerd go way back!” she affirmed enthusiastically, her voice bouncing off of the walls and echoing throughout the cavern.

“YES! SINCE ALL THE WAY BACK IN PRIMARY SCHOOL! ALTHOUGH SHE’S OLDER, SHE ALWAYS PLAYED WITH THE YOUNGER KIDS TOO!”

“Yeah! I’ve been kicking your butt for years!”

“OH REALLY? THAT IS NOT QUITE HOW I REMEMBER IT…”

“You wanna bet, punk?!”

Nearly every conversation somehow turned into a playful argument.

It was obvious from the way they were with one another that they were close, true best friends. The lighthearted teasing and taunts, laughing at things that weren’t really funny to anyone else and just enjoying each other’s company. It reminded you of how well you got along with your roommates.

And maybe a little bit of how you felt around Sans.

The lights kept the other two upstairs pretty much the whole time. You had already finished the outside of them for the most part, making them look exactly how you both wanted, and now they just needed to actually get them strung together. You wished you knew more about how any of that stuff worked so you could help, but you had your own hands full.

And covered in paint.

Thankfully the paint didn’t seem to be reacting badly with your skin because you had gotten a little crazy with it. It was just too much fun to accent the normal colors with the gorgeous glow the magical paint had. You probably could have spent forever experimenting with it and had gotten a little absorbed in what you were doing without realizing.

“So how’d ya learn to do all this stuff anyway?”

You looked over your shoulder from where you were crouched beside a table to find Undyne sitting cross-legged on the tarp and watching you. She seemed to be all out of tasks to do while you and Papyrus were painting, fidgeting with a clean brush and tapping it on the edge of a closed paint can in a steady pattern. You weren’t sure if she wasn’t very good at sitting still or just bored out of her mind.

“Well, some of it I taught myself. Youtube videos and Pinterest and whatever, but I also took every class I could afford,” you explained. “I always just really loved art.”

“AS A BEGINNER MYSELF, I CAN TELL HOW MUCH TIME AND EFFORT YOU HAVE PUT INTO YOUR WORK. YOU ARE VERY TALENTED!”

You beamed at Papyrus, just as messy as you were and giving you a sweet smile of his own. “Thank you. You picked it up so quickly that I’m sure you’ll be better than me in no time.”

“WELL, I’M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT, BUT I WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YOU A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY!”

“Don’t ya get bored just sitting there looking at the same thing for hours?” Undyne asked.

You shrugged. “Sometimes I might get sick of what I’m working on and I have to switch to something else for a little while, but usually I enjoy making whatever I want with my own hands.”

“Hmph...that’s cool, I guess.” She sounded thoughtful. “I kinda get what you mean. It’s like when I’m working on a song, I’ll take as long as I need to make it right.”

“You write songs?” you asked, surprised.

“Yeah! Sometimes I think up lyrics, but most the time it’s just for the piano.”

With her rough and tough exterior, you never would have expected that of her.

“LIKE THAT WEIRD PIANO PUZZLE YOU PUT IN WATERFALL!”

“It wasn’t weird! It was cool!” She sounded proud of herself.

“I’d love to hear some of your music sometime,” you said and you meant it. It was just so cool what people could come up if you gave them the tools to do it. 

That purple-blue color was back in her face. “Yeah, uh, maybe sometime…” Then she looked around the room, frowning. “Why don’t you guys have a piano here, huh?”

“IT’S A NIGHTCLUB, UNDYNE!”

“It could be a classy nightclub!”

“I DON’T THINK THAT’S WHAT SANS IS GOING FOR.”

“Why not? It can’t just be all that electronic dance shit!”

“THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE LIKE TO DANCE TO!”

Before they could turn their current disagreement into another brawl, you cut in, “Do you want to try painting?” 

Undyne looked at the brush she’d been drumming with, apprehension creeping across her sharp features.

“I don’t know how to do that!” She flicked a hand out in the direction of the delicate lines you were painting on the edge of a table top.

“You don’t have to do that. You can…” You pushed the box of small, jagged crystals toward her. “Paint some of these for me.”

She looked unsure.

“COME ON! DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE AFRAID OF A LITTLE PAINT, UNDYNE?”

Those were the magic words that she needed to hear apparently, chest puffing up. “Hell no! Give me some paint! I’m gonna make a freaking masterpiece! The best crystals your eye sockets have ever seen!”

She jumped to her feet, looking all too much like a predator as she stalked over to you. She had the large brush she’d been playing with brandished in her hand like a sword. The look on her face when you took it from her and handed her a much smaller one was priceless.

“Hey! This one's wimpy!”

You held up one of the crystals between your thumb and pointer finger to show her their size. Some of them were a little bigger or smaller, but for the most part, they were all about an inch or two long.

“Trust me, you’ll want a small one for these.”

She grumbled a little as she sat beside you and started rummaging in the box for one that she liked. As you worked, you noticed her watching you and Papyrus from time to time before tentatively following your examples. She was very messy about it but perfectly capable of covering the crystals in paint.

You got back into the zone and time passed quickly with Undyne and Papyrus telling you more about their lives Underground. You didn’t know much about the place, just the little bit that you’d heard from the news, but they talked about it fondly. Sharing stories of their youth, their hometowns, and the things that they missed, but they both vehemently expressed how much better being under the sun was.

Your heart twisted a little in your chest to hear the wonder, the raw awe in their voices as they recounted the first time they ever saw the sky. You couldn’t even imagine what that would have been like. Every sunrise and sunset, the stars, and even the clouds that you had always taken for granted. They were all a small part of something the monster had been deprived of for so long. You had to turn away from them or else you would have started to choke up.

Thankfully, the conversation soon drifted to things that they still wanted to do and places they wanted to see. Even though they could do whatever they pleased so long as they stayed in the country, with no other laws or restrictions barring them, it still wasn’t safe yet. Their excitement was infectious though and it was fun to give them new suggestions that they hadn’t yet thought of or didn’t even know existed.

You hadn’t even realized how late it had gotten until Sans came downstairs to join you.

“it’s almost eleven and i can’t look at all those wires anymore,” he said, his voice sounding low and groggy as he flopped onto his back on a clean part of the tarp. “how’s it goin’ down here?”

“Is it really?” That was later than you had planned on staying, but that’s how it always went. “We’re doing pretty good. We should be able to finish these up next time and move onto the stairs.”

“sweet.”

Sans closed his sockets and went quiet.

“SANS! DO NOT SLEEP HERE!”

“‘m not.” But he didn’t open his sockets.

The other monster had come down too, walking way behind him and she instantly moved to hover behind Undyne. She was yellow, as scaly as her girlfriend, and reptilian in appearance with her spikes and tail poking out under her pink dress. She seemed to be trying very hard not to stare at you. Just as you were about to introduce yourself to her, she surprised you by speaking up.

“H-h-hello, I’m A-A-Alphys.”

Undyne’s wide grin at the nervous monster was wide and sweet, clearly proud of her. You returned the introductions, happy that she had decided to talk to you. She didn’t say anything more to you though, speaking quietly to Undyne about her crystals and the fish monster was all too ready to brag about them. Papyrus quickly started showing off everything he had accomplished throughout the evening as well.

When you looked back at Sans, you were surprised to find his sockets open, eye lights roving over the finished tables. You had transformed the rough, rugged stone base of the table to appear as though small, incandescent gems were poking through cracks in the surface and the smooth tops had swirling, speckled, or vein-like patterns. The intent was to make them easy to see in the dark, something you would be repeating with the stairs, the railing, some doors, and a few other select things. The practical reason aside, it just looked awesome.

You wiped your hands off on your already paint-stained overalls. “How do they look?”

“awesome,” he said, echoing your own thoughts like he could hear them. “just like your drawings. it’s pretty crazy what you can do with some paint, cheap crystals, and good glue.”

“Thanks! I feel a lot better about the other furniture we picked now that I can see how these turned out.”

“yeah, ya really got a knack for this.”

Then he looked at you, eye lights tracking up and down your figure. You couldn’t help but flush a little at the direct attention. Especially when he grinned a little more at you.

“looks like you got more on you than anything else.”

You looked down, admiring the way the different colors had blended together and splattered to create a glowing mess on the fabric. “I really hope these stain. I want to look like this forever.” 

“heh, you could prolly pull it off.”

His words were coming slow and murmured, a long yawn trailing them. If you left him there long enough he’d probably actually pass out. You knew how messed up his sleep schedule was, just as bad as your own honestly, but if he got home and into bed quick enough then he’d probably be able to catch up a little.

“I have to be up in a few hours if I want to make it to class on time, so just let me put everything up and I’ll be ready to go, okay?”

Instead of agreeing, Sans furrowed his brow bones up at you. “class?”

“Yeeeah?”

“you’re in school?”

You paused in putting the lids back on the paint cans, looking down at the skeleton in surprise. “Have we really never talked about that?” 

“no?” You didn’t understand why he looked and sounded so confused about it.

“SHE GOES TO THE LOCAL HUMAN UNIVERSITY,” Papyrus piped up, looking proud that he knew this about you. “SHE HAS A SCHOLARSHIP TOO!”

“oh.”

“Yeah, that’s why I can only come here in the evenings. I go to school in the mornings during the week and work whenever I’m not here,” you explained. “Plus homework whenever I can cram it in.”

“do you even sleep?” he asked quietly.

“Less and less every week,” you told him with a laugh. “Have  _ you  _ been sleeping?”

Now it was his turn to look sheepish. “i plan to be asap.”

“Good plan. I’m almost done and then I just need to change real quick.”

“cool.” He turned his skull to the others. “you guys ready to head out too?”

“YES! UNDYNE AND I HAVE TO GET UP EARLY FOR OUR DAILY JOG, SO I MUST GET INTO BED SOON!”

“You got plenty of time to sleep! Come over for movies!”

“I NEED MY REST TO FEEL REFRESHED FOR THE DAY!”

“Loser!”

“YOU WILL BE THE LOSER TOMORROW WHEN YOU HAVEN’T SLEPT ADEQUATELY!”

“Are they always like this?” you asked with a smile, closing the box of crystals and gathering up your brushes. 

“constantly.” He managed to convey so much with one word.

You said bye to the others as they were heading out, then went to the bathroom to rinse off your brushes and change back into your regular clothes. When you came out Sans was still laying back on the tarp, phone in hand. He didn’t move even when you came to stand at his side.

“Ready to get going?”

He didn’t answer, eye lights flickering back and forth as he read.

“What’s wrong?”

“that microbrewery emailed me.”

“What? Really? What did they say?” 

When he looked up his smile was flat and your heart sank straight to your toes.

“...No good?” 

“nope,” he shook his head. “now we’re stuck with nasty human beer at my club.”

You squinted at him, letting that process while his grin grew wide and full on his face. You let out a small, incredulous laugh and then you were folding up beside him on the floor without thinking about it.

“Are you serious?! They’re really going to do it?”

Sans shifted his shoulders a little and you remembered in a flash that he didn't really like to be as close as Papyrus sometimes did. Before you could scoot away to give him back his personal space, he pushed off the floor until he was sitting up and held his phone in front of both of your faces so you could see it too.

> **info@overthehopbrewery.com**
> 
> _ Dear Sans Fontanelles, _
> 
> _ After careful consideration and looking over your proposal with my team we have come to a decision. It would be our pleasure to work with you to bring our locally crafted brews to Rock Bottom. We at Over the Hop take pride in sticking by fellow underdogs and as pun lovers ourselves, we think that you will be the perfect partner. About your estimated sales… _

“Wait, did you sneak puns into the email?” you accused, ignoring the rest of the email as it went on to discuss business things that didn’t really concern you. 

“maybe.” Sans was smiling so big, the biggest that you had seen from him yet, that small creases had formed at the corner of his eye sockets and his eye lights gleamed. Those adorable little dimples were on full display. “but if i did, they loved ‘em. i mean, their company name is over the hop. they get it, ya know?

“Oh my god. I can’t handle you. But this is great! Now no one can say that you didn’t try to accommodate humans. I’m sure this place will be packed on opening night.”

“hope so. guess your gut feeling was right and mine was wrong,” Sans said, still practically beaming. “s’pose that makes sense since you’re the only one here with one of those.”

You both were still laughing and joking, riding the high of the good news as you left the club. It wasn’t until you were nearly back to the guardhouse that he threw a curveball at you.

“wanna come with me to the meeting?”

“With Over the Hop?” you asked, looking over at him.

“yeah. you handled that email the right way and you know how all of this human stuff works.”

“I don’t know the first thing about making a business deal or whatever it is you’re doing.”

“nah, i don’t need help with that. i just need someone to tell me when i’m missin’ something that’s obvious for humans, but i don’t know a lick about,” he said. “and it’ll be nice havin’ a human there in case they’re...weird or whatever. might make ‘em feel more at ease if i bring you instead of paps or someone else.”

You had a feeling that having you there would make him feel better too or else he would never have asked you. 

“you don’t gotta if you don’t wanna,” he continued. “seriously no pressure. you’ve already done a lot for me and the club.”

You had already been leaning towards a decision, but his words made you absolutely sure of what you were going to do.

“Yeah, of course, I’ll come. Just let me know ahead of time so I can make sure I’m off.”

“thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Sans gave you a smaller smile than the others of the night, but it felt just as warm and sincere, only in a softer way. That feeling in your chest surged again, that messy mix of emotions that you still hadn’t made much sense of. You just felt so thankful for that disaster in the craft store that had brought you to that moment, to that night, with people that you had never expected to get to know.

When you got home you were surprised to find Amber still awake and sitting on the couch. She was normally racked out by the time you rolled in after a late night on the reservation. That probably meant her and Erin had gotten into it. It didn’t happen often, but the fact that she was awake and wolfing down white cheddar popcorn like she hadn’t eaten all day was a pretty good indicator.

“Hey, what’s up?” you asked gently, kicking your shoes off at the door.

“Stupid stuff,” Amber said, rolling her eyes and when you frowned at that she continued, “Really, it’s dumb. I’m going back up there soon. I just needed a few to cool off.”

Amber definitely was the more short-tempered of the two, so usually if you caught her after an argument she’d be ranting and raving about whatever they’d been fighting about. She seemed pretty cool now and you knew they always worked it out, so you weren’t too worried. You plopped down next to her and snuck a few pieces of popcorn out of her bag.

“What’re you watching?”

“I recorded the new  _ WWC _ episode.”

“Oh, cool.”

We West Coast. You didn’t really watch that one, but you knew it was a reality TV show about local celebrities that lived in California and whatever drama they cooked up for the cameras. It was really popular in your area since you were so close to where they filmed it, but it just wasn’t your jam. You were all ready to say goodnight and go to bed when she spoke up.

“Whoa, is that some kind of monster?” 

That definitely got you to tune in. Despite not watching it or knowing what earned them their fame, you could still recognize most of the faces of the celebrities. There was only one that was completely unfamiliar to you and honestly, you weren’t sure of the answer to Amber’s question.

They were human-like, more so than any other monster you had seen, and undeniably good-looking. Their facial features were well-defined and chiseled, moving just like a face should behind the dark fringe hanging over their right eye. Their shapely figure was accented by the stylish beachwear they wore, showing off their long legs and the crop top allowed you to see their waist. It was too perfectly cylindrical to be natural and there was a small, heart-shaped window. It glowed a vibrant pink, but you couldn’t make out what was causing it through the tinted glass.

From there it was easier to make out the metallic sheen and the other unusual proportions that separated them from humans. The arms were especially noticeable, ending with gloved hands and stretching and retracting like a hose. Aside from a few thin strips of metal running down their cheeks, they were flawless in a way that humans had yet to achieve with plastic surgery.

“Has to be,” Amber answered herself. “I wonder what that thing is on his stomach?”

“I don’t know. How long has he been on the show?” you asked.

“This is the first time. They introduced him as Mettaton before the commercial break and he’s about to talk about—oh, shh!” 

You both listened as the scene changed to Mettaton sitting by himself on a couch. You recognized the setup from every other reality show. It was where the celebrity would “privately” open up to the camera about whatever drama was going on in that episode.

“As the number one and only idol Underground, I was so excited to meet some human stars. For the most part, everyone has been so nice and welcoming during my visit. I can tell we’re all going to get along so well!

That was...surprisingly positive. Normally those kinds of interviews involved a lot more crying or shouting. Even though you were sure it was all scripted, Mettaton seemed to be taking things in a different direction.

“It’s very sad that I won’t be staying on permanently, but we’ll be hanging out again in the near future and if you would all still like to see what my wonderful, glamorous life is like tune in for  _ Mettaton Takes The Surface  _ every Thursday at 7 PM. See you then, my beauties!”

His cheerful demeanor quickly turned sex appeal and he winked lasciviously at the camera. You couldn’t help but laugh. Whether he was going the catty route or not, he was clearly meant to be on screen in some fashion. 

“Want to watch it with me?” Amber asked, grinning at you.

“I don’t think so, but it’s pretty amazing that he has his own show.”

A monster celebrity. Although some were popular enough online, he would definitely be the first and only one to appear on actual television. Aside from the news, anyhow. That was definitely a sign that things were moving forward, even if it was slow going.

“Yeah, I wonder if he’s living in LA then?”

Before you could answer, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You pulled it out to see what it was and found a new email from Sans. Of course, he didn’t go home and go right to sleep.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ you forgot the cookies _

You laughed out loud, earning a curious look from Amber.

“Ooooh, who’s hitting you up this late? Get a new booty call that I should know about?”

“Ha, you’re funny.” You gave her a blank stare because she knew how boring your love life was. “It’s just Sans, the monster I’m working with. I told him I’d bring him Girl Scout cookies since he’s never had them and I totally forgot, so he’s giving me shit.”

“You guys text?”

“No, it’s our business emails.”

“That doesn’t sound like business to me.”

You looked at her shit grin, instantly smelling what she was trying to imply.

“How about no?”

“Mmhmm, giving the skeleton your cookies, huh?”

You grabbed one of the mismatched throw pillows and whacked her hard. She definitely deserved it. She giggled despite your assault, not sorry at all.

“Go to bed!” 

“Goodnight!” she called cheerfully as you left her there.

You don’t know why you were still a little flustered when you were finally in bed and you were staring at your phone, not sure of what to say. Stupid Amber making things weird. Now all of your responses sounded too much like dessert-based innuendos. You huffed at your own silliness before quickly typing out an apology for forgetting to grab them on your way out of the door that morning and promised to bring them next time. You don’t even know why you got so worked up in the first place.

It was just Sans. Sans the  _ skeleton _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really love Undyne, okay? So no worries, she and darling Alphys will be in more chapters later. I really struggle with writing Alphys' stutter though. I don't want to overdo it, you know?
> 
> Anyways, thank you all so much for reading, commenting, and leaving kudos. It really makes me so happy and you're all lovely, adorable sweeties.


	10. Don't Rock The Boat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little too real for the monsters and it opens your eyes to how things really are between you and the skeleton brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ hey. some stuff came up and things at the club are getting put on hold for a few. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Is everything okay? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ yup. i’ll let you know when things start back up. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Please let me know if there’s anything that I can do. _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ will do. _

You were worried, but that seemed to be all that you were going to get out of him. With all of the extra time on your hands, you decided to go back to taking as many extra shifts as you could. The rest of the week and most of the next passed in almost radio silence. Papyrus had even gone mostly quiet, only responding to your messages to assure you that everything was fine and that he would be too busy to meet with you and Nolan for lunch for a little while. It was strange to go so long without talking to either of them and even though you kept yourself plenty busy, the days seemed to drag by slower than usual.

After what seemed like a small eternity, Sans finally got ahold of you.

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ things are good to go over here if you want to come on your next day off. _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ Yeah, absolutely. I took a few more shifts this week, so I’m not off until Friday but I can definitely be there. The usual time? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ yup.  _

> **info@localstarvingarts.com**
> 
> _ I don’t know what was going on, but I hope it’s all okay now? _

> **sansfontanelles@rockbottom.com**
> 
> _ as okay as it gets. thanks. see ya friday. _

That made it pretty clear that he had no intentions of telling you what had happened and you couldn’t stop yourself from wondering about it. Maybe it was a family thing? More human hold ups? You had no clue and it was weird that even Papyrus kept it to himself. Well, whatever it was, you were glad that things could get back to normal and Friday couldn’t come fast enough.

Unlike all the times before, both skeletons were there to meet you at the guardhouse and Papyrus was already waiting beside the gate as you pulled up. Sans, on the other hand, was slouched against the wall. From the way his skull jerked up sharply when Papyrus hollered out at your arrival, he might have been napping while standing upright. They climbed into the car without bothering to wave at the camera like Sans normally did, Papyrus squeezing himself into the front, of course, and Sans went to the back.

“HELLO!”

“Well, hello to you. It must be my lucky day to have two gentle-skeletons like yourselves here to welcome me.”

You expected a snicker or flippant comment from the back, but Sans was surprisingly quiet. Before you could look back at him, Papyrus leaned across the center console to get your attention. You hadn’t realized how sweaty and jittery he was until he filled your vision.

“SO WE HAVE IMPLEMENTED A FEW NEW SECURITY MEASURES SINCE THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE AND IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU PERSONALLY.”

“Okay…?” You blinked up at him.

“SO YOU DON’T MIND IF WE SCAN YOUR VEHICLE, DO YOU?”

“Oh, sure, whatever you guys need to do,” you offered.

You really didn’t care what they wanted to do. You didn’t have anything to hide. Papyrus practically deflated with a heaving exhale, rib cage jutting against the thin sports tank he was wearing and he wiped the sweat from his skull with the back of his hand. You don’t how much that helped, but it did make an interesting scraping sound.

“THANK GOODNESS.”

“Do I need to get out?”

“NO…? I DON’T THINK SO?” He looked over your shoulder at the guardhouse before looking back at you. “NO, I DON’T BELIEVE YOU NEED TO GET OUT.”

“Oh...so I’ll just stay here?”

“PLEASE DO!”

It was then that he gave the usual wave to the camera and you sat as still as you could, waiting for it to start. You sort of expected the two large monster guards to come out to do something or a device to pop out of the ground. You knew that they had some advanced technology just from what you’d seen so far. But nothing happened.

Except... _ maybe _ you could feel the slightest pressure, a heaviness in the air that could have just been humidity if it weren’t for the fact that your air conditioning was on full blast. You thought you could hear something too, like a high-pitched, electrical whine? But that could have just been your imagination playing tricks on your senses. You listened, trying to tell for sure until it faded out and the gate slowly started to rise. 

“Wait, that was it?”

Papyrus beamed at you, his happiness radiating throughout the van like a small sun.

“YES, THAT WAS IT AND YOU PASSED!” he spoke in a rush, fists clenched tight as he bounced in place.  “NOT THAT I HAD ANY DOUBTS ABOUT YOUR INTEGRITY, OF COURSE!”

You were pretty sure that wasn’t a totally honest statement, but he was so happy that you weren’t going to point that out.

“It was so quick. How did that scan anything?”

“IT WAS BUILT INTO THE GATE WITH DISCRETION AND EASE OF USE IN MIND! TO BE HONEST, YOU’RE THE FIRST ONE TO TRY IT AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING PROPERLY!”

“Oh, cool. So...we’re good to go then?”

“THE GATE WOULDN’T HAVE OPENED IF WE WEREN’T!”

Huh. No big deal then. You supposed if it was that fast and easy then it was definitely a good thing to have.

As you started moving, Papyrus started fiddling with the levers on the side of the seat. He was practically origami with how far it was pushed forward, compliments of Sans usually taking that spot. Said skeleton had been even more quiet than usual and you thought maybe you could hear the faintest, softest snores. A quick glance in your rearview mirror showed that Sans was zonked out, who knows how long he’d already been checked out of the conversation, and his rounded skull fell forward slightly as he was slumped against the door.

Cuuuute.

Then you felt bad for thinking that. He had been looking a little better the last few times you saw him, but he was back to looking like he hadn’t slept in years. How did the bone under his eye sockets get so dark like that?

You turned back to the other brother, still struggling with the seat. “It’s the one in the back. You pull it up and push back with your body.”

“OH! OF COURSE! THANK YOU!” He did exactly that and the seat mercifully obeyed, allowing him to stretch out his long, boney legs. “THAT’S MUCH BETTER!”

As you passed the square, you were happy to note how much things had progressed since your very first visit to the reservation. More business looked well on their way to being finished, in the middle of being painted or waiting for signs to be put up. Others were still in the early stages of development, but it showed how big they planned on building the square up and all of the potential the area had. It was strangely dead though, with not a soul in sight.

“Where is everyone?” you asked, glancing around the empty streets. “It’s usually so packed through here.”

“WELL…” Papyrus was sweating again, his earlier burst of enthusiasm ebbing away in seconds.

“Well, what?” you prompted when he didn’t continue.

“DUE TO THE MOST RECENT ATTEMPTED ATTACK—” 

Your foot hit the brake and the tires chirped as the van jerked to a stop, lurching you all forward in your seats. “What?!”

The snores cut off sharply and sputtered into a string of curses.

“sonuvafuuuu—wassup?” Sans’ sleepy voice slurred from the back.

“Sorry, sorry. I was just...sorry.” You caught his small, dim eye lights in the mirror and gave him an apologetic frown before slowly letting the car start rolling again. You felt like you could hardly breathe, the words tumbling out of your mouth almost faster than your mind could form them, “What attack? What happened? Was anyone hurt?” 

“YOU DIDN’T HEAR ABOUT IT?”

“No?”

“oh, yeah…ya got this, bro.”

Then there was a dull clunk from the back, which you could only assume was San’s skull flopping back onto the door. Another quick peek told you that yep, you were right. Was he really snoring again already? Papyrus sighed heavily, before proceeding to ignore him.

“YES, THERE WAS AN ATTEMPTED ATTACK A FEW DAYS AGO. A GROUP OF FIVE HUMANS BYPASSED ALL OF THE GUARDHOUSES BY NAVIGATING A PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN PASS IN THE MOUNTAIN TO GET INTO THE RESERVATION—”

“Oh my god.” You didn’t mean to interrupt, but you couldn’t help the soft, horrified exclamation that escaped your mouth. “Oh my  _ god _ . What about your family? The kids?”

“THANKFULLY, THEY WERE STOPPED BY OUR MARVELOUS DEFENSES BEFORE THEY COULD GET TOO FAR IN AND NO ONE WAS HARMED,” he continued, his tone unusually grave. “THEIR BAGS WERE FILLED WITH GUNS, AMMUNITION, AND EXPLOSIVES.”

Your blood froze in your veins.

It took everything you had not to tap the brake again. Those weren’t just bigoted humans flinging hateful words and giving nasty looks. Those people were coming at the monsters with nothing but cruelty and violence and malintent. They had come to  _ kill _ .

“That’s...so fucked.”

You couldn’t even find the words to express how terrifying the thought was to you.

“FUCKED INDEED.”

There was a muffled snort from the back. So Sans wasn’t totally asleep then?

“At least….at least everyone is okay, right?”

“YES, IT WAS THE BEST CASE SCENARIO.”

Best case scenario. Not going without attacks completely, just having an attack where no one was hurt. You felt sick as you thought of all of the monsters, hiding away in their homes and being denied the sunshine once more.

“Are you guys on lockdown or something? Should I come back another day?” you asked anxiously.

“NO, NOT QUITE. WE KNOW YOU’RE NOT A BAD PERSON,” Papyrus said. “BUT...IT’S JUST BETTER TO BE CAREFUL WHEN SOMEONE IS APPROACHING THE PERIMETER.”

“big ol’ van like yours could hold a lotta humans,” Sans drawled quietly from the back. 

“SANS!” 

Wait. 

Wait, wait,  _ wait _ .

“Are you saying that people went into  _ hiding _ when I pulled up?” you asked, glancing from one brother to the next. Forget the road, there wasn’t anyone else out driving at the moment anyways.  “Like are they waiting for me to leave? Why didn’t you guys tell me? I’ll leave right now.”

“NO, PLEASE DON’T. WE NEED TO FINISH ROCK BOTTOM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. THE QUEEN IS MORE ANXIOUS THAN EVER TO GET THE FIRST MONSTER BUSINESS OPEN...AND AS WE SAID,  _ WE  _ KNOW YOU’RE NOT A BAD PERSON,” he said, a little firmer than you were used to from him.

Sans didn’t chime in this time.

Guns, ammunition, and  _ explosives _ .

God. That explained why Papyrus was so worried when it came time to scan your vehicle. How could they still want to open their doors to the public after all of that? You knew there had been attacks in the past, horrible ones that stayed on the news for weeks and painted a gruesome tale of what the monsters were going through, but it had been months since the last time that had happened. Speaking of...

“Why didn’t I hear anything about it? Shouldn’t it be all over the news?”

You thought back to the last several days, going over the usual school and store chatter you had heard. You might have worked a lot, too much to really pay any attention to TV, but something like that should have had everyone talking about it. Yet there hadn’t been even a whisper of an attack that you could remember.

“monster attacks are old news to your government.”

“NO! THEY ARE PROBABLY IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INVESTIGATION AND HAVEN’T RELEASED THE DETAILS TO THE MEDIA YET. GOOD THING IT DIDN’T ESCALATE AND THEY WERE ABLE TO KEEP IT CONTAINED.”

“prolly just hushed it all up so people think everything’s cool and none of the humans investing in our meds and tech get cold feet.”

“OR PERHAPS THEY DO NOT WANT TO EXPOSE A POTENTIAL WEAKNESS IN OUR PERIMETER—” Papyrus looked over at you before continuing quickly. “WHICH HAS BEEN QUICKLY RECTIFIED, OF COURSE!”

“mmhmm.”

Oh man. There hadn’t been any problems, the interior of the club had been coming along so smoothly and Sans had been easier and easier to get along with every time you spent time together. Now that old tension was creeping back in, gumming up every conversation with distrust and distance that hadn’t been there in weeks. Even Papyrus seemed nervous around you, more than he ever had been before, despite his best attempts to act like he wasn’t. Could you really blame them though? 

“Are you sure we shouldn’t just take a break for today? I’m sure you guys…” Were scared? Had plenty to think about? Didn’t want to be anywhere near a human? “...could really use it.”

“gotta get the club up and runnin’ anyway. might as well keep at it while we can.”

“YES! THERE IS NO TIME TO DELAY!” Papyrus was clearly trying to sound chipper, but even he wasn’t able to pull off a convincing smile.

“If you guys are sure…”

“yup.”

Sans was even more dialed down than usual. He always sounded like he was minutes off from passing out, but his voice was lower, scratchier, and totally stripped bare of any emotion. Even though things were tense, you couldn’t help but be concerned and wanted to ask if he was okay, but you felt like it would be better to have that conversation when Papyrus wasn’t around. He always talked more when it was just the two of you. Maybe if you could catch him on his own later you would try.

The rest of the evening was fairly quiet, Papyrus’ own interjections were few and far between for him, but he reiterated that he was fine whenever you asked. Sans went right upstairs and stayed there the whole evening, giving you no opportunity to speak to him. You were going to ask him on your usual trip to the guardhouse at the end of the night, but for the first time ever Papyrus tagged along and Sans slept in the back the whole way there.

“SANS! YOU SHOULD WAKE UP TO SAY GOODNIGHT AT LEAST!” Papyrus grumbled as you came to a stop on the other side of the gate to let them out.

But Sans was just snoozing away.

Instead of trying to rouse his brother further, Papyrus got out and went to the back passenger door. Then he gathered the smaller skeleton up into his arms and tossed him over one shoulder like he was nothing more than a rag doll. Sans didn’t even flinch, snoring away without a care in the world. 

“WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH YOU, BROTHER?” he muttered to himself.

Despite the frustration that was evident in his voice, he carefully adjusted his grip on Sans and gave him a few gentle pats on the back. Only Papyrus could fit so much annoyance and affection into such a simple gesture. Then he leaned over to see you better through the open passenger window, cradling Sans to him in a way that told you that likely wasn’t the first time he’d toted him around like that.

“PLEASE SEND ME A MESSAGE ME WHEN YOU GET HOME!” 

“Yeah, absolutely. Will you guys shoot me a text too?” you asked, holding his gaze. “I was really worried when you both stopped replying last week and now that I know why...just let me know you’re safe, okay?”

He nodded obediently. “I WILL DO THAT! I ASSURE YOU THAT OUR NEWLY UPDATED DEFENSES ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST, BUT IT’S VERY KIND OF YOU TO CARE SO MUCH!”

“Of course I care, Papyrus! I can’t tell you how-how—” You tripped over your words, your throat constricting hard around the unexpected lump there and your eyes burned with the tears that you were trying to blink back. You didn't know where the sudden wave of emotion came from, but you weren’t doing a good job of keeping it to yourself. “I’m just so glad you’re both okay. That everyone is.”

Papyrus’ face softened into a tender smile, not too unlike the one he had given you the day you met and he told you that he was glad that you were his first, real human encounter on the surface. He reached through the window with the hand that wasn’t clutching his brother and your own stretched to meet him instantly, his phalanges curling around your fingers. You could feel a quiet hum in his bones, as warm and alive as he was.

“I KNOW.” 

You gripped his hand tightly for a moment, just so happy that you could.

“If you ever need to talk or...not talk, I’m always here.”

“I KNOW THAT TOO.” He gave you one final squeeze and let go, putting both hands on Sans’ back. “HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. WE WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW.”

He said it like it was a promise and you couldn’t help but feel some small relief.

“Goodnight.”

Papyrus kept his word and let you know when they were home safe. You did the same. You couldn’t really sleep that night, too dogged by the thoughts of your two favorite, silly skeletons, so somber and subdued and scared of you. Of every monster that wouldn’t risk being out on their own land while you were there. Of guns, ammunition, and explosives. Of vans that were big enough to fit plenty of humans to use them.

It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, and you didn’t need to wonder anymore why Sans hadn’t let himself be alone with you. You gave them a wide berth the next few times you were at the club, respecting the time they needed to deal with it. It didn’t take Papyrus very long to perk up and ease back into his normal self, you didn’t think he was truly capable of staying down more than absolutely necessary.

But Sans…

“Hey, have you seen this yet?” you asked him, looking up when he came downstairs for the first time in a while one evening.

You were a smidge proud of how the bar was turning out. Like the tables, you had littered the sides of the bar and the bases of the stools with crystals while the tops were all painted in cracked, glowing designs as if light contained within was trying to break free from the stone. The rocky lip that came down over the bar, acting sort of like a natural awning that sheltered it from the main cavern, was covered in low reaching stalactites that formed an arch overhead and stalagmites that stretched up from the ground down the length of the front of the bar. They weren’t natural of course, you had gotten better crystals for those, but instead of using the paint on them Sans was going to install LEDs inside of their hollowed out centers.

His eye lights barely skimmed over it, the briefest glance. 

“looks good.”

Then he turned away to pick up one of the boxes stacked on the floor by the bottom of the stairs. It was clearly too heavy for just him alone. You immediately started to wipe off your hands and stood, ready to hurry over to him.

“Here, let me help.”

Before you could even take one step toward him, the box was glowing blue and zipping up the stairs much faster than the other one had moved.

“nah, i’m cool.”

You were sure Sans didn’t run anywhere, but he certainly didn’t hesitate to follow after it. The way he turned and walked away from you felt glacial. All the easy, playful back and forth was gone like it never existed. You wanted to follow after him, to tell him how sorry you were. To tell him everything that you had told Papyrus, that you were there for him, and everything else you had been thinking. But you were frozen, too afraid of making things worse than they already were. The last thing you wanted to do was corner him when clearly the last thing he wanted to do was be around you.

Sans just needed time. Everything would be fine.

That’s what you told yourself anyway as he continued to rarely make eye contact with you for days on end and only spoke to you when it was absolutely necessary. When he did, his responses felt clipped and distant, like you were speaking to a total stranger. It was so jarring because even during your most uncomfortable moments with the skeleton, he’d never been like that with you. 

Maybe there was no getting it, whatever friendship you might have had before, back.

With all of the painting nearly done and only some last-minute, final touches to iron out, your time with Rock Bottom would be quickly coming to a close. You knew you shouldn’t press the issue if you weren’t going to be involved with him anymore. That was the thing though. You didn’t want Rock Bottom to be the end of it, the weird and fun companionship you’d forged with Sans over the last few...months. It had been months since you’d met them, how had so much time passed so quickly?

The meeting with Over the Hop was one of your last obligations to the club and the set date was right around the corner, so you decided to talk to Papyrus. If anyone would know what you should do, it would be him. Getting him alone wasn’t hard do since Sans dipped out again, leaving you both downstairs. You waited until you’d been at it for a little while before you moved closer to where he was painting sweeping whorls around the doorway that led to one of the bathrooms.

“Hey, um...can I ask you a question?”

“YES, OF COURSE.”

“A quiet question.”

Papyrus glanced up quickly towards the second floor and nodded, pressing nearer to you. “IS THIS A SECRET FROM MY BROTHER?” Still not quite a whisper, but it was better than nothing.

“No, not a secret really, just…” You looked upstairs for a moment yourself just to make sure that he wasn’t right there within hearing distance anyway. “Is he, like, mad at me or something?”

"WHAT? WHY?" he asked, brow bones furrowing. "I THOUGHT YOU GUYS WERE GETTING ALONG SO WELL!"   


"I thought so too, but…”

“DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?”

“Not exactly. I thought we were okay...more than okay, honestly. There were a few awkward moments in the beginning, but we got over all of that while ago,” you explained. “Now it’s worse than it ever was and it feels like he can’t stand having me around. I know he said he had some issues with humans and I get that, but I thought…”

...that he didn’t feel that way about  _ you _ . 

You couldn’t finish the thought aloud, shrugging instead. It made you feel so small and childish, to be upset because someone might not like you, but you couldn’t help it. No more off-task, late-night emails. No more laughing over mutual ridiculousness. No more learning new things about monsters and magic as he patiently explained it to you. No more Sans.

You didn’t think you’d miss all of it so much.

Even though you knew it was a long shot, part of you really hoped that Papyrus would disagree with you, but he sighed heavily. "HE DOESN'T CARE FOR HUMANS VERY MUCH IN GENERAL, IT'S TRUE."   


You had sort of figured that out for yourself, but that wasn’t quite what you were getting at. "Do you know why he started acting different though? Did I do something?”

Something oblivious and rude and so  _ human  _ that it made him want to stop dealing with you entirely? You really hoped it was that and not the alternative. You might be able to apologize and fix things if it was just that. But if it wasn’t...

“I CAN’T SAY FOR SURE, SANS HASN’T SAID ANYTHING TO ME, BUT I SINCERELY DOUBT IT,” Papyrus said and all of your hopes were dashed to the ground. “EVERYONE TAKES AN ATTACK VERY SERIOUSLY. EVEN A FAILED ONE PUTS US ON EDGE AND MAKES US LOSE ANY SORT OF COMFORT THAT WE MIGHT HAVE FELT IN THE TIME BETWEEN THEM. SANS...HE TAKES THEM EVEN HARDER THAN MOST.”

You turned his words over in your head for a moment, considering them carefully. Another experience that you could in no way relate to, never had to worry about, and would never be able to fully wrap your head around. You could try though, try to empathize, to understand how you would feel about a group of people, about every single last one, when the majority of them wanted you to go back underground. Or worse. If you were Sans...

You probably wouldn't like you very much either.

"BUT DO NOT LET SANS BOTHER YOU. IT'S NOT BECAUSE OF YOU SPECIFICALLY OR ANYTHING THAT YOU DID. HE JUST PROBABLY FEELS A LITTLE...EXTRA UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND YOU RIGHT NOW."   


You smiled at his attempt to comfort you, but you could only focus on one word.  _ Extra _ . So Sans was always uncomfortable around you, but for the sake of making Rock Bottom work he had tolerated you and made nice. You were just another human, after all, not someone that he’d want sticking around after your business was settled. No amount of apologizing could make up for that.

At least he had been kind enough to keep it up until the attack.   


"No, I can understand why. He has every reason to feel that way," you said, voice as steady as you could keep it and you were relieved that it didn’t break. "And I should have known he was just being friendly because we were working together, not actually trying to be friends. He was just so easy to talk to and joke with that I forgot we working half of the time."   


You swallowed hard, hoping to shove down the rest of the sharp disappointment, but it stuck in your throat. Papyrus looked just a devastated as you felt. He tacked you in a vice-like hug and maybe it was silly, but you embraced him back. His boney ribs and arms dug into you through his clothes, but he was so warm, that same low buzz of magic bleeding through him to you, and it was the thought that really counted anyways. 

"What about you?" you asked, your face pressed into his hard shoulder.   


"ME?! OF COURSE I'M FINE WITH HUMANS!" Papyrus quickly assured you, leaning back to look at you. "WE’RE VERY GOOD FRIENDS, RIGHT?"   


"Yeah, of course," you agreed just as fast, chest warming at his words and soothing some of the hurt. "I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't making you uncomfortable too."   


"NOT AT ALL!" Papyrus assured you. "AND WE WILL SEE EACH OTHER DURING LUNCH AND FIND OTHER FUN WAYS TO SPEND TIME TOGETHER.”

You started to agree eagerly, but you paused. There had just been a well-planned and almost executed assault on the reservation. The only reason that the monsters came out unscathed was because of their advanced defenses and whatever safeguards they had in place. When it was just you, Nolan, and Papyrus sitting in the little cafe or any of the other nearby restaurants, there was nothing of the sort. With Sans’ stance on the matter finally made clear, a horrible thought occurred to you.

“Papyrus, is Sans okay with us being friends?” 

He looked pointedly over your shoulder. “HE DOESN’T GET TO DECIDE WHO MY FRIENDS ARE.”

Oh...oh no.

“Does he even know that you come to see me every week?”   


He started sweating immediately, deciding to stare at the ground instead. “UM…”

“Papyrus...don’t tell me that he doesn’t know.”   


“SANS DOESN'T REALLY LIKE IT WHEN I LEAVE THE RESERVATION BY MYSELF," he said. "HE WORRIES THAT I MIGHT GET HURT."   


Oh god. That meant that every single moment Papyrus had spent with you outside of the reservation was kept from Sans. Totally and naively exposing himself to anyone that could have possibly wanted to hurt him.

"He has plenty of reasons to worry," you said tersely.   


"PLEASE DON'T TELL HIM."   


You didn't want anything to happen to Papyrus and it would be on your hands if it did.   


"Maybe we shouldn't do lunch anymore.”   


"YOU WANT TO STOP HANGING OUT?" He sounded so heartbroken.   


"That’s not it,” you denied. "But maybe we should just stay on the reservation from now on?"   


"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THREE YEARS TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE RESERVATION AND AS NICE AS IT IS, I WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SEE NEW PLACES WITH MY FRIENDS. I DON'T WANT TO HIDE ANYMORE."

His eye sockets were widened slightly and his toothy mouth curved down at the edges to frown at you as much as he could with his stiff features. This obviously was very important to him and you couldn't tell him that he was wrong because he wasn't. He should have been able to come and go as he pleased without fearing for his life. 

Just because he had only gotten rude stares and muttered about as he passed didn't mean it was always going to stay that way. Everyone had gotten too comfortable in the time between the most recent attack and the last. They couldn’t stay on the reservation forever though. He deserved a life up above as much as you did. Honestly, with how long he had gone without it, how long all of them had, they deserved it more.   


"Okay, okay. Why don't you try talking to him about it? Like I did with Nolan? Then neither of us will have to sneak around and lie to him?" You took his hands in yours. "He might be more understanding than you think and...he deserves to know. In case something ever does happen."   


Papyrus groaned.   


"OH NO! I AM DEFEATED BY MY OWN EXCELLENT ADVICE. YOU ARE VERY CLEVER TO USE IT AGAINST ME!" he cried. "FINE! I WILL TALK TO HIM, BUT..."   


He fixed you with a surprisingly stern look that was completely out of place on his face.   


"YOU SHOULD TALK TO SANS TOO."   


"I can't make him be friends with me."   


"NO, BUT YOU CAN TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL AND SHOW HIM YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS."   


"Maaaybe."   


You definitely weren't going to talk to Sans. You were okay with making things weird for the sake of making it better, but there was no making it better if Sans didn’t want that himself and all that conversation would accomplish was him being more uncomfortable than he already was. Or hell, guilt him into faking it. Your heart ached at the loss and you’d miss it, miss him, but it was out of your hands. Being friend-rejected freaking sucked.

You really owed Nolan another apology.

Before you headed out that night, you went upstairs to find Sans on your own. He wasn’t out in the main part of the loft, the floor littered with a mess of wires, glass, and crystals. You had no idea how any of it went together to make light, but it was starting to look almost right and you were careful not to step on anything as you made your way to his office. You needed a moment to gather your courage a little, deep breaths and calming thoughts, before you knocked on the door.

“come in.”

He had to know it was you because Papyrus probably wouldn’t have knocked. The office had changed quite a bit since you had been there last. He had an actual comfortable-looking tall, leather office chair now and some filing cabinets had been put in the corner behind the desk. Along the wall beside the door, there was a couch in a dark blue, plush material and that was where he was stretched out, phone in hand.

He hardly looked up when you came in. “what’s up?”

You almost chickened out and tucked tail, but you managed to force your feet to stay in place. “Are...are we still doing the meeting with Over the Hop tomorrow?” 

Sans paused for a few beats too long and you were sure that he was going to say that he had changed his mind. That he could handle it all on his own or would take Papyrus instead. Whatever it was that put you somewhere other than where he was. 

Then he shrugged. “yeah...yeah, i guess so if you’re up for it.”

He didn’t sound nearly as enthusiastic about it as he had been the other night.

“Yeah, I’m up for it, but...” You knew no matter how you worded it, it was going to be rough. “If it would be better for you, I can just give you some pointers or you can just email me any questions that you have? I already took the day off, so I’ll be able to answer them fairly quickly.”

That finally got his eye sockets to flicker up over the top of his phone and settle on your face. You couldn’t help but look away, too nervous to meet his gaze head-on. You could hear him shift on the couch and a quick glance up told you that he had sat up. You immediately turned your eyes back to the desk, appreciating how clear of clutter it was for once.

“i...uh, i’d appreciate it if you’d come with. that’d be better than trying to hurry up and type somethin’ to ya.”

You had been so prepared for him to jump on the chance to get rid of you that you needed a moment to think of what to say. He must have noticed the silence lingering and continued.

“if you’re cool with that. i know you don’t get a lotta days off, so i get it if you’d rather take it easy tomorrow.”

You looked up at him finally to find him watching you, waiting for something. The usual smile was there too, but you knew it was just his go-to. It wasn’t intended for you.

“No, it’s not like that. The only reason I took off was for the meeting, I just wanted to make sure…” That he could stand to be around you for that long? “...that was still what you wanted to do. So I’ll pick you up at five?”

You had always done the driving before and didn’t have any problems continuing to do it now.

“sure, sounds good to me.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

“see ya.”

That settled that then. Before you made it all the way out the door, a thought occurred to you and you poked your head back in.

“You don’t have to, but you might want to wear something a little more business casual to the meeting. Nothing super stuffy, but it doesn’t hurt to look professional.”

As if he couldn’t help himself, he flicked a hand down towards his hoodie and shorts, all rumpled from laying down. “whatcha tryin’ to say about my getup, huh?”

You wanted to laugh, but all you could manage was a small smile. “I know I don’t have to tell you how weird humans are about appearances. You don’t have to go overboard though.”

“huh. okay, you got it. i’ll bust out the suit.”

“You’ll be really overdressed, but you have my total support. See you tomorrow.”

“yeah...see ya.”

As you pulled the door closed behind you, you could have sworn you heard him sigh. Was that whole conversation just as awkward for him as it had been for you? Worse? Or did he just not care because he knew he only had to deal with you a little while longer?

You just had to accept it for what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against monsters; referenced attack; fear of possible attack; brief mention of guns, explosives, ammunition, and violent acts but no graphic details
> 
> I have so many feelings about this chapter and the next few after. You don't even know. Cue the feels writing playlist!
> 
> Seriously, thank you guys for reading. <3
> 
> I'm also [outindaylight](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> on Tumblr if anyone wants to chat or whatnot.


	11. nothing in the closet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans (kinda) tries to find an outfit for the meeting and Papyrus comes to the rescue. Still, siblings don't always see eye socket to eye socket and the skeleton brothers are no exception. Especially when Sans can't even seem to agree with himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Sans was, as always, in a bit of a pickle.

The meeting with Over the Hop was just hours away and he had no clue what to wear.

_Business casual._

He could do casual, sure, that was pretty much all that he owned and aimed for in his daily attire. But business was a whole other separate matter. Why put them together and make clothes more complicated than they needed to be? He just needed shitty human beer to sell to potential shitty human customers. Was it really necessary to have a special outfit for that?

According to _you_ , yes.

You had made it a point to tell him to dress nicer for the meeting and _apparently_ a suit, the only really dapper thing he owned, was _too_ nice. Not that he wanted to squeeze himself into that stuffy thing anyway. So long as he wasn’t streaking bare bones through the brewery, he really didn’t think it should matter what he had on. So now he was poking through what he did have and finding a whole lot of nothing.

And you obviously would know a whole lot more about all the weird human standards than he ever could. Probably already had your _business casual_ clothes all picked out and ready while he was just sort of bumbling around his room with no direction. You were kind of his human expert at the moment, right? Maybe he should shoot an email your way and ask for some  _professional_ suggestions. You always did say to let you know if there was anything that you could do to help…

Nah, better not.

You were almost out of the picture anyway. No need to keep dragging it out any more than he already was by bringing you along to the meeting. Just a few more days and things could go back to normal.

Because everything was all sunshine and rainbows back then, right?

"BROTHER..."

Sans was pulled out of his spiraling line of thought and looked over to see Paps filling the open doorway, a frown on his face and arms crossed over his ribs as he peered into the dim and dank disaster Sans called his room.

Salvation had come.

“hey, just the bro i needed.”

“I’M YOUR ONLY ‘BRO.’”

“heh, true. but what about ari—”

“WE DO NOT HAVE A SISTER NAMED ARIAL THAT WENT MISSING BECAUSE SHE WOULDN’T QUIT WANDERING OFF! I KNOW BETTER THAN THAT NOW!” Paps practically screeched in indignation, flushing neon at the reminder of the fib he’d been fed on numerous occasions during their youth.

Hey, it worked. Paps never did go running off as a kid. Not too far, anyway.

“if you say so.” Sans snickered. “wanna help me figure out what i’m wearin’ to the meeting?”

“I ACTUALLY CAME TO SPE— Paps narrowed his eye sockets, actually focusing on the rest of the bedroom. “HOLY MOLY, SANS! IT'S GOTTEN EVEN WORSE IN HERE SINCE YESTERDAY!"

The small reading lamp on the end table didn’t do much but was more than enough to illuminate the wreckage of his day-to-day. The lack of light actually created deep, deceptive shadows and the illusion that it wasn’t as bad as it truly was. Which wasn’t really saying much.

"yeah, i know, i know."

Although the waste bin beside the bed was overflowing a bit and a chisps bag lay crumpled on the floor next to it, trash wasn't really the issue. What really got Paps going was the empty hamper in the corner and all of the dirty laundry on the floor, staying wherever it landed after Sans chucked it off in his sleep-deprived stupors because all he could care about at the end of the day was getting into bed as fast as possible. Then there was the several weeks’ worth of clean clothes that were folded up in neat little stacks wherever Paps could find the space to put them because why bother putting them away when he was just going to wear them eventually? Sans really didn’t want to get him started on the books, magazines, papers, nameless half-assembled gadgets, or whatever else was laying around and forget making the bed. There wasn’t even a—

"YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE A SHEET ON THE BED!” Paps was on it, storming down the hall and returning with a fitted sheet to fling full force at his face. “THAT IS UNACCEPTABLE!”

Sans pulled the sheet off of his head to find Paps glaring him down. Welp, he definitely wasn’t getting any help with the clothes until his younger brother was appeased, so he groaned and trudged through the build-up to the bed. He managed to get two corners taken care of, no problem, but when he went for the third at the head of the bed, one of the other ends slipped off and rolled back up towards the middle. He tried to reach for it, but his arms weren’t long enough to keep the one at the head down and get the one at the bottom at the same time.

In the end, he ended up flopped face down on the balled up sheet.

Which was just fine with him. It was plenty comfy. He might have actually crashed like that if it weren’t for Paps storming into the room in a righteous fury, howling about proper bed etiquette and common decency. He quickly yanked the edges of the sheet and tucked them under the corners with practiced ease while Sans laid there on top of the sheet the whole time. Sans knew he’d probably be just as good at it if he actually made it a daily routine, but eh. He slept just fine without it.

Now that Paps was actually inside, he had a better view of the calamity at hand.

“THERE’S NOT EVEN A TRASH TORNADO GOING CURRENTLY! HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO GET IT INTO THIS STATE?”

"dunno.”

But he did know. After rifling through the mess for the better part of an hour now, he was surprised it didn’t look worse. It definitely had been before, so really it was an improvement on his part. Paps should have been proud of him, character development and all that jazz.

“i'll hafta clean up later. right now i gotta figure out what i’m wearin’ tonight. it's s’posed to be business casual, whatever that means.”

Paps stroked his mandible with his phalanges. “HMM…”

“what?”

“WHAT’S YOUR PARTNER IN CRIME FOR THE EVENING WEARING?”

He snorted into the mattress. “how would i know?”

“SHOULDN’T YOU COLLABORATE WITH HER? WHAT IF YOU CLASH? THAT WOULDN’T MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A UNIFIED TEAM!”

“we don’t gotta look like a team. just nice enough to talk to them about alcohol.”

“STILL, I’M SURE SHE WOULD HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.”

Spooky. Sometimes it really shook him how much Paps’ thoughts could align with his. No one could ever say that the younger skeleton brother wasn’t clever and thoughtful.

“that’s what i got you for, right?”

Paps made a pained noise and pulled out his phone, phalanges flying over the screen.

“watcha doin’?”

“FIGURING OUT EXACTLY WHAT BUSINESS CASUAL LOOKS LIKE. I HAVE AN IDEA, BUT…”

“smart. google has all the answers.”

A few moments of quiet  _click-clack_ typing and scrolling passed, all the while the phone vibrated on and off in Paps’ hands. He was almost always talking to someone and Sans didn't understand how he could stand the constant communication. Finally, Paps turned to one of the many stacks of folded clothes, thumbing through it carefully before moving onto the next and doing the same. He actually took something from that one, but Sans couldn’t tell what. He worked his way through every pile until he seemed to have run out of options. He huffed and disappeared out the door, leaving Sans to lump out for a few in peaceful silence. When Paps came back, he had a full outfit in his hands.

“I’M GLAD THAT I KEPT MOST OF YOUR NICER THINGS IN THE BASEMENT OTHERWISE THEY’D PROBABLY BE UNWEARABLE AFTER ENDURING THIS ROOM.” Paps held up what he had found. “THIS WILL DO, BUT THE PANTS WILL NEED TO BE IRONED BECAUSE _SOMEONE_ REFUSES TO HANG UP THEIR CLOTHES!”

“guilty.” Sans rose a hand into the air and then pushed up onto his elbows to look a little closer at what Paps had put together. “forgot i had any of that stuff.”

“WE BOUGHT IT AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS FOR THE MEETINGS AND HEARING TO KEEP THE KIDS, REMEMBER?”

“oh. right. guess so.”

Like he could forget that. Tori crying for weeks on end after Frisk and Chara were taken while they were barely out of the ground and everyone else didn’t hold up much better. All the written statements and news interviews, spinning and spieling whatever stories that made it all sound legit. Meeting with lawyers and attorneys and caseworkers nonstop to push their way into a courtroom. Having to testify that the kids weren’t held against their will, that they were never under any harm, that they would be loved and cared for better than any other children in the world. Being ready to prove it, scrambling to meet the requirements of children’s services and then some just to seal the deal.

He definitely remembered having to look the part. Responsible. Put-together. A good mate and surrogate father. Had to try to make it look like it was right for him to stand next to Her Royal Majesty, Queen of monsterkind, and not like the tiny total trainwreck that he was.

Fun times.

“IT’S ALSO EASIER TO SEE WHAT CLOTHES YOU HAVE WHEN THEY ARE ALL PUT AWAY PROPERLY.”

“true.”

That didn't mean it was going to happen though.

“I BROUGHT YOU TWO DIFFERENT TIES TO TRY ON TOO.” He held up the two offending strips of fabric, one gray and the other blue.

“no thanks.”

Paps shook his head and set the clothes down beside him on the bed. “FINE! I SUPPOSE YOU JUST NEED SOME SHOES THEN.”

“oh yeah. have ya seen my loafers?"

"THE BLACK ONES?"

"yeah...i think so? the comfy ones?"

"YOU CAN’T WEAR THOSE! THEY'RE FALLING APART AND BESIDES, THEY DON'T EVEN MATCH THE OUTFIT I HAVE MASTERFULLY PIECED TOGETHER FROM YOUR WOEFULLY LACKING WARDROBE. REALLY, SANS, WE NEED TO GO SHOPPING SOON.”

The last thing he wanted to do was be anywhere near Paps and a dressing room. He had fallen victim to it too many times in his lifetime and it was a miracle that he ever made it out. He’d take ordering stuff online and guessing at sizes every time.

"well...what were you thinkin’ then?" he asked, idly prodding at some ratty shorts next to the bed. Nope. No shoes under there.

"THE NICE, MTT LIMITED RELEASE ONES, OF COURSE!"

"uhhh...right."

"YOU KNOW! THE ONES THAT YOU WORE TO UNDYNE AND ALPHYS’ WEDDING!"

Sans needed a minute for that one. He couldn't even remember most of that night, let alone what he _wore_. All he could really remember about those shoes...

"ya mean the brown ones?"

Paps sighed. "YES, SANS, THE BROWN ONES."

Yup, those were the ones that rubbed his calcanei and pinched his halluxes. Super.

"'kay...now i just gotta figure out where those went."

He could have sworn that he saw them last in his room somewhere. Granted he had no clue how long ago that was. Probably not long after the wedding. So a year ago now? Two? And where the hell would they be now? Maybe he actually put them away?

"YOU KNOW THAT FINDING THINGS WOULD BE A LOT EASIER IF YOU WOULD ORGANIZE YOUR BELONGINGS FIRST, RIGHT?" Paps moved further into the room, hands hovering at his sides as if he wasn’t sure where to even begin searching.

"i suck. i know."

That made Paps stop and plant his hands on his coxals, staring him down.

"YOU MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT SUCK. NO BROTHER OF THE GREAT AND VERY-NOT-SUCKY PAPYRUS COULD POSSIBLY SUCK. IN FACT, EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T BLESSED TO BE MY ONE AND ONLY SIBLING, YOU POSSESS MANY WONDERFUL QUALITIES THAT CLEARLY SHOW THAT YOU DON'T SUCK. BUT YOUR TERRIBLE TIDINESS HABITS ARE NOT MEETING THE VERY HIGH STANDARDS EXCELLENT SKELETONS LIKE US MUST HOLD OURSELVES TO."

Eugh. Why did that cut right through the bullshit and go right to his soul? Sleep exhaustion was probably to blame. Either way, Sans was _not_ going to start tearing up at Paps’ unique brand of uplifting lectures. Not today.

“you’re right, bro. my bad.”

“I’M GLAD YOU SEE IT MY WAY!”

Paps squeezed his shoulders once before bending down to start shoveling crap out from under the bed. Sans had already checked there, but that didn’t mean Paps wouldn’t find them there anyway. He forced himself to roll off the bed, figuring that he could tackle the closet instead.

Bad idea.

As soon as he opened the door, a mountain of who-knows-what came tumbling out like an avalanche of his poor decisions given physical form.

"whooo boy."

They both stared at the utter clusterfuck at his feet— well, piled up to his knees, really. A busted spectrometer with a cracked screen was sticking out of the top of the pile. He plucked the small device up from the rest of the mess, turning it over carefully in his hands. It was probably salvageable with some replacement parts and a little bit of patience.

"huh. wondered where that went."

But it would have to wait. He dropped it unceremoniously back onto the pile and began digging through it. It was like a speedrun down memory lane. His old telescope was shoved in the back, looking miraculously intact despite having everything crammed around it. He could barely see anything but the moon with it, but it had been more than enough back then.

Rogue hangers, but no clothes to go with them. Plenty of books, binders, more broken machines with bits of wire and circuit boards hanging out. God, after chipping away at the lights for the club, he was more sick of seeing electrical wiring than ever before. He had no clue where all the tea candles came from, but there seemed to be a lot of them mixed in for some reason. Basically, it was everything he had that he had no real use for but just didn’t feel like dumping into the trash yet.

Something drew his eye, something that managed to catch the limited light in the room and his phalanges froze just millimeters from it. Two silver bands, a matching set adorned with unpolished opals and uncut diamonds. They were slipped around some rolled up papers, holding them closed like a napkin ring.

Oh. Yeah. That's why he never opened the closet. He snatched them up and tossed them to the back. Out of sight, out of mind. Thankfully, Paps was still noisily digging through the clutter behind him, completely oblivious.

"ANYWAY, SANS, BACK TO WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY BEFORE. THIS IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE."

"tell me about it. don't think i'm gonna find those loafers."

He still had plenty of time before the meeting, he just so wasn’t up for a trip to the store.

"NO, PROBABLY NOT, BUT I DON’T MEAN THAT. UM…WELL…”

Sans could hear the softness in his brother's voice, the hesitation that trembled under the bravado of volume. When he stopped poking through the mound of junk and turned to look at him, Paps wouldn't meet his gaze and was shuffling in place. Never a good sign.

"what's up?" he asked.

Paps just wiggled there in uncomfortable silence for a moment, sweat starting to bead on his skull. Sans knew for a fact that there was nothing particularly interesting about the dirty sock Paps was staring so intently at, but he couldn’t seem to look away from it. With every second that passed, Sans’ rib cage started to contract more and more.

“what it is, paps? just lay it on me,” he said as calmly as he could.

Paps started at that.

“NO, YOU’RE RIGHT! WE’RE NOT GOING TO FIND YOUR LOAFERS BEFORE THE MEETING, SO WE NEED TO GO TO THE STORE! RIGHT THIS VERY INSTANT!”

Then he was moving and out the door before Sans could blink.

“I’LL BE WAITING IN THE CAR!”

Sans stared after him for a moment before rolling his eye lights upwards as if the solution to all of his problems would be waiting there on the ceiling, but no dice. Just some plastic, glow-in-the-dark stickers that Zuzu and the kids had gotten him for Gyftmas. No answers were written in those stars.

Why couldn’t anything ever be easy? Fucking please. Just one damn thing.

After a time, anyone’s guess how long, he got up and followed.

Despite Sans’ best attempts to gently prod Paps into spilling the beans, it wasn’t happening. He had a pretty good idea of what was up, but he was waiting for Paps to say it himself. The younger skeleton brother had never been a very good liar, they both knew that, but he held his ground the whole way to the store. Sans really wanted to know where in the hell that stubborn streak of his came from?

Okay, yeah. That was probably his bad. But still, it was annoying when it was the other way around.

Paps managed to keep it up until they were deep in the shoe section at a human department store, the ones on the reservation weren't up and running yet. They were getting plenty of looks, no surprises there, but part of it could have been the fact that their cart was filled to the brim with different shoe boxes. It had gotten to the point where Sans was sneaking some out every time Paps wasn’t looking, but he couldn’t keep up with how quickly Paps was pulling them off the shelves. There was no way in hell he was trying all of those on and he was trying to discreetly guide them down the aisle to where he could see options that were more his style. They didn’t make it very far before Paps finally stopped loudly comparing two completely identical shoes aside from the different brand names on their soles.

“UMM…SOOO…” he started slowly, peering at both shoes in his hands with unnecessary scrutiny. “I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF OUR MUTUAL HUMAN FRIEND.”

Sans was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic and the last thing he expected Paps to bring up was you again. The shoeboxes he was trying to smuggle out of the cart slipped from his hands, the lids flipping open, and shoes went everywhere. He cursed under his breath, bending down to gather them up. Paps was too busy not looking at him to turn around to see what he was doing though.

“she’s more of a, uh, business acquaintance, bro. ya know that.”

“YES, THAT’S WHAT I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT, ACTUALLY.”

That didn’t bode well.

“what about it?”

“I DON’T THINK YOU DISLIKE HER NEARLY AS MUCH AS YOU TRY TO CLAIM.”

He sighed, shoving the boxes back onto the shelf. “never said i disliked her. she just...just ain't a friend.”

Paps finally whirled on him. “OKAY, BUT WHY NOT?”

“what do you mean why not? ‘cuz she just isn’t?”

“YOU SAY THAT, BUT YOU TWO GET ALONG LIKE TWO PEAS IN A POD!” Sans was about to open his mouth to disagree, but Paps wasn’t done. “YOU CAN’T DENY IT! I HAVE SEEN THE WAY THE TWO OF YOU ARE WITH ONE ANOTHER! YOU HAVE COMPLETELY CORRUPTED HER SENSE OF HUMOR, BUT SHE MAKES YOU LAUGH MORE THAN ANYONE OR ANYTHING ELSE HAS LATELY SO I WILL FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT.”

That threw him too. Was he really laughing more? Couldn’t be. He grabbed a few more boxes and pointedly put them away while Paps was watching.

“nah, zu—”

“ASIDE FROM THE CUTEST BUNNY EVER, BUT I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT ZURI.” Paps set the shoes down and stretched out his long arms, grabbing the very same boxes Sans had just put away to throw them right back into the cart. “I’M TALKING ABOUT THE ONLY PERSON BESIDES OUR FAMILY THAT YOU GENUINELY SEEM TO ENJOY TALKING TO AND SPENDING TIME WITH ANYMORE. IF THAT’S NOT FRIENDSHIP, THEN I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS.”

He shrugged, taking the boxes _back_ out of the cart. “just being nice, s’all. don’t want things to be weird while she’s workin’ for me.”

“IF THAT’S ALL, THEN WHY WOULD YOU GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO INTERACT WITH HER? JAPES AND JOKES AND JUST LAUGHING LIKE YOU’VE BEEN FRIENDS FOREVER?” Paps pressed, pulling the boxes out of Sans’ arms before he could put them away again.

Sans raised his hands in mock surrender, giving up on that particular battle, and shrugged again. He really didn’t know the answer to that one himself. It hadn’t seemed like a bad idea at the time. Now he wanted nothing to do with any of it. Just thinking of how close he’d let you get at times, so close he could almost feel the warmth of your skin, made him feel sick. How could he have been so stupid?

“HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT THAN HOW YOU ARE WITH ALPHYS AND UNDYNE? OR THE KIDS? OR ME?”

“that’s a stretch, pal.”

How could he even make that comparison? After everything they’d all been through together, all the years he’d known them, and they were his family. No rando human could touch that.

“IS IT REALLY? THERE WAS A TIME WHEN WE WERE ALL STRANGERS TO ONE ANOTHER.”

“well, we’ve known each other since you were about this big,” Sans held his hands a little more than a foot apart in front of him. “so i don’t think you really count.”

“FINE! I CAN BE THE EXCEPTION. BUT YOU HAD TO GIVE EVERYONE ELSE A CHANCE AT FIRST BEFORE YOU REALLY GOT TO KNOWN THEM. WHY WON’T YOU GIVE HER A CHANCE?”

“they’re not humans. that’s the difference.”

“WHAT DOES BEING HUMAN HAVE TO DO WITH IT?” Paps asked. “FRISK AND CHARA ARE HUMAN AND YOU LOVE THEM ALL THE SAME.”

Sans couldn’t stop himself from laughing. It was a tired, threadbare sound. If only Paps knew how terrible of a point that was to make. His relationship with the kids hadn’t happened overnight. The twists and turns it took to get where they were now had taken more time than any of them had anymore.

“look, i get it. you like her and you want us all to be buddy-buddy. it just isn’t gonna happen, alright? can we let it go?”

He was getting really fed up of thinking and talking about this. About you. He had a million other things to worry about at the moment. Like how was he going to talk his way out of trying on a hundred pairs of shoes that all looked as uncomfortable as hell?

“IT ALREADY HAPPENED! EVERYTHING WAS FINE BEFORE THE ATTACK AND THEN YOU STARTED ACTING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ALL OF A SUDDEN.”

Yeah, he probably could have been a little less obvious about it. But screw it. The attempted attack had just been a fresh and necessary reminder of why he should have kept his distance in the first place. He needed to learn from his mistakes for once in his life.

“not really.”

“YES, YOU REALLY ARE! YOU BARELY EVEN LOOK AT HER NOW. DO YOU REALLY THINK SHE THAT CAN’T TELL HOW COLD YOU’VE BEEN LATELY?”

Sans shook his head, deciding to get moving again before one of the store employees overheard them going back and forth with each other and came to investigate. The last thing he needed was a scene or to get kicked out. All for the sake of looking _business casual._

“‘m sure she doesn’t notice or care what i do, bro.”

Not that it would matter if you did. It didn’t change a single thing about their circumstances. You were still a human and he couldn’t ever let you get so close again. He’d almost let his guard down, they all had, and it could have cost him everything.

“I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SHE DOES,” Paps said, right on his heels with the overloaded cart in tow.

That made him pause. “oh, yeah? how?”

“SHE ASKED ME HERSELF IF SHE DID SOMETHING TO UPSET YOU AND WAS VERY DEVASTATED THAT YOU SEEMED TO NO LONGER WANT TO BE AROUND HER. _SHE_ CERTAINLY WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU TWO WERE FRIENDS.”

Sans’ soul twisted at that, suddenly and totally uncalled for. Then it quickly bottomed out into irritation that set his teeth on edge. What in the hell did he have to feel guilty about? He didn’t owe you or any other human a goddamn thing. Least of all his friendship.

“so what? i’m nice to her when she’s around and suddenly she’s entitled to me? s’that it?” he asked through a clenched mandible, fighting to keep his tone as neutral as possible. “i forgot humans getta call the shots on everything up here.”

“OF COURSE NOT, SANS. IT’S NOT LIKE THAT AND I THINK YOU KNOW HER BETTER THAN THAT FOR YOURSELF.”

He didn’t really have a comeback for that one and any anger he was trying to cling to quickly fizzled out, just leaving him feeling drained. Despite himself and every instinct deep in his bones telling him not to, he _had_ gotten to know you. At least a little.

He knew from seeing you on a regular basis what you gravitated towards with your clothes and other belongings. Sometimes it was warm, vibrant colors that suited your smile to a tee. Other times you went darker, more subdued, reminding him that you could be serious when you needed to be. You owned a consistent amount of blue and he figured that it was probably one of your favorite colors. If it wasn’t, then it was at least one that you wore well.

He’d picked up on which songs of his got your head bobbing as you put in time that he knew you didn’t have with school and everything else, so he played those and ones like them more often. You worked as hard as he did, brushstroke by brushstroke and with careful, dedicated hands, to construct an atmosphere for the club that he couldn’t have ever come up with on his own. You were more than supportive, trying to stay positive about how slow things had been moving and helping out with things that weren’t anywhere in the job description. But hell, if you didn’t tackle those with enthusiasm and knock them out like a champ.

You had different laughs depending on the joke, coming as easy as the breeze once he got you going and you were quick to give it right back to him. A total junk food enabler and a curious sort, always asking him thoughtful questions in a considerate way that set you apart from the other nosey humans that would pry. If you ever thought you were being too pushy or crossing a line, you never, ever hesitated to apologize and were so quick to take the monsters’ side when it came to issues with humans.

All in all, you hadn’t given him one good reason to hate you since the very first day he met you. You were too friendly. Too hardworking. Too willing to stick around.

That’s exactly why he couldn’t freaking trust it. What human acted that way? Even the few halfway decent ones he’d met kept up their walls, held them all at arm’s length. What were the chances that you were somehow different than the rest? He didn’t need to run any numbers to figure that one out.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

It just didn’t work like that.

“no one’s really like that, paps. it can’t be real. she’s too…too...”

Too good to be true.

“SHE’S EXACTLY WHO SHE IS AND YOU NEED TO REALIZE THAT.”

And that’s exactly what sweet, optimistic, and hopelessly naive Paps would say.

“okay, say she really ain’t all that bad. say she might be okay.” Paps perked up way too much at that, but Sans continued, “what does she get outta being friends with us? we both know that the rest of her kind ain’t gonna treat her much better for hangin’ ‘round with us. they’re gonna stare and talk about her and give her a hard time for it. why would anyone choose that for themselves?”

Paps wasn’t deterred in the slightest, beaming at him. “IF SHE REALLY CARED ABOUT THAT, SHE NEVER WOULD HAVE AGREED TO WORK FOR ROCK BOTTOM IN THE FIRST PLACE. OBVIOUSLY, OUR FRIENDSHIP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK.”

“or maybe the money is.”

He was paying you pretty good, after all. Not that you didn’t deserve every penny of it, you did, but that was plenty of motivation to play nice for a bit. That was a concept that he could wrap his skull around and make peace with.

“THEN WHY WOULD HER FEELINGS BE HURT BY YOU NOT TALKING TO HER? I DON’T THINK YOU PAID HER TO SPEAK TO YOU, ALTHOUGH THAT WOULD EXPLAIN WHY SHE THOUGHT ANY OF YOUR TERRIBLE JOKES WERE FUNNY.”

Sans snorted at that, but he wasn’t convinced. Maybe you figured that if you could make friends with him then the cash cow would keep coming? He knew you probably didn’t make much at the grocery store. You had more commissions from Paps bolstering your art, sure, but you’d said yourself that those weren’t consistent enough to count on. With all the effort you put in, you should’ve been driving something a lot better than that old, beat up van you had.

Whatever, not the point. Your financial situation wasn’t any of his concern anyway.

“WHY CAN’T YOU JUST ADMIT THAT YOU LIKE HER MORE THAN YOU WANT TO?” Paps asked, his voice dropping off into an almost whisper. “I KNOW YOU DO.”

It couldn’t happen. You could still turn around and stab them in the back no matter how much he or Paps or any other monster liked you. He just had too much to lose now and no more second chances to give.

“i don’t.”

Paps threw up his arms, groaning loudly.

“and even if i did, is she really worth the risk? is anyone? putting the kids, the whole family, and everyone else we know in danger just because she _might_ be a friend?” he asked. “or she might just be really damn good at hidin’ her true intentions. you know how hard it is to tell with humans. then next thing we know we’re all blown to high hell and they win again. ‘cept this time we won’t be shoved under a mountain. we’ll just be dust.”

It was more blunt than he normally was with the younger skeleton, but Paps was an adult now and he needed to hear it. If he kept expecting everyone to be as good and genuine as he was, then he was going to get hurt. Or worse. Sans would do just about anything to make sure that didn’t happen, even if it meant laying out the harsh reality of things for him.

“SHE’S NOT LIKE THAT. HAS SHE EVER SHOWN ONE SHRED OF MALINTENT AS LONG AS WE’VE KNOWN HER? SHE’S PASSED EVERY SCAN WITH NO PROBLEMS!”

“humans are tricky, paps. they’re so good at hiding what they’re really like ‘til it’s too late.”

“YOU CAN’T BLAME THE ATTACKS ON HER, SANS. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HER. SHE’S JUST BEEN TRYING TO HELP US THIS WHOLE TIME.”

“maybe. maybe not. still can’t trust it. sorry it's gotta be this way, but it is what it is.”

Paps was beyond angry, his bones visibly shaking, and Sans wasn’t exactly cool as a cucumber himself. They’d talked themselves into circles and both had long since stopped caring about shoes. But Paps wasn’t done yet.

“SHE’S A FRIEND WHETHER YOU WANT TO ADMIT IT OR NOT,” he snapped. “AND I’M NOT GOING TO STOP SPENDING TIME WITH HER WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT.”

“how ya gonna do that?” Sans challenged, cocking a supraorbital ridge at him. “i don’t want her at the house or ‘round the kids.”

“I’VE BEEN GOING TO VISIT HER AND NOLAN SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK FOR AWHILE NOW AND I CAME BACK IN ONE PIECE EVERY TIME!”

There it was.

“WHILE YOU’VE BEEN TOO BUSY BEING STUCK IN YOUR WAYS, I HAVE MADE TWO EXCELLENT HUMAN FRIENDS THAT STICK UP FOR ME WHENEVER ANOTHER HUMAN IS RUDE AND THEY ENJOY JUST SITTING THERE, TALKING TO ME. AND I CERTAINLY DON’T PAY THEM FOR THAT.”

Sans already knew, of course he knew. There was nothing even slightly subtle or sneaky about the younger skeleton, baring his soul out on his sleeve for all the world to see. Of course he could tell whenever Paps would lie about what he was doing for the day. See right through every avoided glance and rushed, half-baked explanation.

Now he could finally speak his mind about it.

“i don’t really hafta tell ya what a bad idea that is, right?” he asked, his voice low and tight. When Paps just huffed at him and jerked his skull away to look at the cart, he continued,  “they don’t just wanna get rude with you, papyrus. didn’t the attack make that pretty obvious? they want us dead. they want _you_ dead.”

“MY FRIENDS DON’T. IF ALL HUMANS ARE SO TERRIBLE, THEN WHY HAVEN’T THEY TRIED TO HURT ME YET?”

“ _yet_. just ‘cuz they haven’t done it yet that doesn’t mean they never will.”

“YOU’RE WRONG ABOUT THEM.”

Paps was clearly convinced and there was no changing his mind.

“and? so what if i am?” he asked, his own frustration coming out and hardening his every word. “think they’re gonna be able to protect you if somethin’ happens? think they’d even hesitate to choose between savin’ themselves and you? why do ya think i’m not takin’ you to the meeting tonight? all the way in the city, chock full of humans?”

The reminder of just how potentially dangerous the meeting could be made Paps fumble, but only for a second. Then he crossed his arms and planted his feet, his mandible turned up defiantly. He looked like every parent’s worst nightmare.

“I’M NOT STAYING TRAPPED ON THE RESERVATION ANYMORE. IF SOMETHING HAPPENS, IT HAPPENS. BUT I’M GOING TO BE MAKING THE MOST OF MY LIFE ON THE SURFACE UNTIL THEN AND THAT’S THAT. I DON’T NEED YOUR PERMISSION AND NOW YOU KNOW.”

Oh, stars above. It was just his luck that Paps’ rebellious phase would come now, of all times. Sans took a deep breath until his ribs felt like they would break, held it, and let it go with a heavy sigh. Pushing the issue anymore would just make Paps act out more and that was the last thing either of them needed at the moment.

“fine. thanks for keeping me in the loop.”

Sans would just have to talk to you instead.

“FINE! YOU’RE WELCOME!”

They had slowly worked their way down the aisle while they argued and it was a small miracle that the other shoppers had decided to just avoid the area rather than call the manager to boot them. Ha, boot. The shoe options on that end were different from what Paps had been trying to push. It only took a quick, browsing glance before Sans found what he was looking for. He snatched up the box and started towards the front, abandoning the cart entirely.

“‘m getting these. put the rest back.”

Humans gave him more than enough problems.

“NO! ANYTHING BUT _THOSE_!”

And damn it, stupid, pinchy shoes was where he was drawing the line.

“too late.”

Sans thought that he would feel better for ending the argument, but as they drove home in tense silence he just felt like shit. Nothing was resolved. He couldn’t stop Paps from leaving, he knew that and had no desire to try, but he wished he could make him understand. If his only options were to let you stay just close enough to keep Paps safe or let him run off with humans every other day, completely unprotected…

Was it really even a choice?

“WILL YOU JUST DO ME A FAVOR?” Paps suddenly spoke up, leaning against the door and staring out the window at the passing scenery.

“what?”

“DESPITE HOW YOU’VE BEEN ACTING, SHE’S STILL GOING TO THE MEETING WITH YOU ANYWAY. SO JUST BE NICE TO HER TONIGHT. PLEASE. SHE REALLY WAS VERY HURT WHEN WE SPOKE YESTERDAY.”

“yeah, i can do that...if you do me a favor.”

“WHAT?”

“could ya try to be a little more careful? pick places that are safer? maybe bring me or undyne along sometimes or somethin’? not all the time, but i’d feel better knowing you weren’t always all by yourself out there.”

Paps scoffed. “YOU WANT TO COME TO LUNCH? OFF THE RESERVATION? WITH HUMANS?”

“no, but i’d do it.”

“I WILL DO MY BEST,” Paps conceded. “BUT I’M NOT ALONE. I’M WITH MY FRIENDS.”

That’s exactly what he was worried about.

If only humans weren’t so out of touch with themselves. Then it would be easy to separate the good from the bad. If he could just see what made you tick, what you really thought and felt inside that pretty little head of yours. Instead, he was stuck with the quiet shell of a body that you wore on the outside, keeping your soul buried deep, and he had to somehow figure you out just from that?

Sans remembered you coming into his office the night before, lingering in the doorway like you were waiting for the first sign of trouble to bolt. He had no choice other than to pay attention to you then, but you had done your best not to meet his gaze. He wasn’t really surprised by that, it was actually what he was hoping would happen. You would pick up on how things were supposed to be, start keeping your own distance, and, whatever your motivations were, you were still going to do your part for the club.

That was all that was supposed to matter.

Why he felt compelled to crack a joke to break the tension, he couldn’t say. All he got was a feeble tug at your lips, nothing he could truly call a smile, and some half-hearted response. He had tried again to get a laugh out of you, but you just weren’t having it and left as quickly as you could.

He wasn’t an idiot. He didn’t need Paps to tell him that you’d been upset. It had shuttered your normally bright eyes, weighed down the slump in your shoulders, and muffled every word you spoke in that short conversation. He could see it all over you.

That’s not how it should have gone. It wasn’t supposed to hurt you. You weren’t supposed to care.

 _He_ wasn’t supposed to care.

Yet small, sharp twinges echoed from deep within his core at just the memory. That was the thing about being so attuned to one’s self. To one’s soul. It was a lot harder to ignore what it was trying to tell him.

If he could just see you, get a glimpse of what your soul was really like...

But he couldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against humans and the reader; referenced attack; fear of possible attack
> 
> This chapter wasn't planned, but Punny_Fan and Zalladane expressed an interest in a Sans POV of the last chapter. Since I'm not really big on rewriting whole chapters from different perspectives, I decided to give some insight on what's happening from Sans' end. The meeting will happen next chapter, so I'm sorry if anyone was looking forward to that, but I hope you'll all be happy with some time in Sans' head. It's preeeettty revealing if you ask me.
> 
> Also, I wanted to clear up some confusion. In this story, monsters can't just see a human's soul willy-nilly. I'll be expanding more on this later.
> 
> All that being said, the last chapter brought the most hits and comments so far and I can't tell you guys how much that made my week. You all have been so engaged, asking questions that I wish I could answer and leaving great feedback, that I feel so grateful and blessed. I want you all to know, from the bottom of my heart, how thankful I am for you guys. 
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	12. Against The Grain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally time for the meeting at Over the Hop. Some things go exactly as you expected and other things...not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Jeans.

Sans was wearing  _ jeans  _ and there wasn't a hoodie in sight.

He had committed to the look too. Despite the fact that they were just jeans, the denim was dyed dark, they clung to his bones, and there were no wrinkles except where they naturally creased with his legs. He had still opted for sneakers, but they were bright white as if they were brand new out of the box, and they went well with the white button-up and slate blue blazer left hanging open over top.

It was absolutely killing you not to say anything to him as you drove from the reservation, past your little college town, and straight to the larger city beyond it. Without the oversized hoodie and basketball shorts hanging off of him and adding the illusion of bulk that just wasn't there, you could see just how truly small he was compared to tall, broad-shouldered Papyrus. The growing babybones jokes could have been endless. You didn’t want to make him feel insecure, he really looked sharp, but before you wouldn’t have hesitated to give him a playful jab or two. Now you were too scared that he would just play along for your sake or actually be offended and couldn’t bring yourself to do it.

It was a surprise that Sans was the one to break the silence first.

“so…” he started slowly, tugging at the lapels of the blazer. “think i shoulda gone for the tie?”

“No way, you absolutely nailed it,” you reassured him quickly and maybe a little too eagerly. “I won’t lie, I would have  _ loved _ to see you all decked out in a suit, but you look really good.”

“heh. well, if ya ask paps, i totally ruined it with the sneakers. it was a fight to get him to let me out the door,” he said and you could almost feel his eye lights on you. “you look nice too.”

The compliment was the last thing you expected and despite knowing it was only a returned courtesy, heat bloomed in your cheeks. “Thanks, I can clean up okay if you give me plenty of warning.”

You had gone with a navy blue cold shoulder dress with a scoop neckline. It was something that you usually only wore on the rare occasion that you went out on the weekend instead of working, so never, but you knew some tricks to make it look more respectable. Throwing on a few layered necklaces and finding some sensible flats was really all it took. Oddly enough, the colors worked really well with what Sans was wearing. You didn’t match exactly, that would have been a little too tacky, but it almost looked as if you had coordinated outfits or something.

Was  _ that  _ why Papyrus texted you earlier, asking for pictures of what you were wearing?

“don’t think i’ve ever seen ya in a dress that wasn't all colorful and stained up.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from shooting a small scowl in his direction. “You know damn well that was a painting smock, not a dress.”

He just chuckled and tugged at his blazer again. You could see that he was sweating even with your air conditioning on full blast and couldn't blame him for the nerves. It wasn't even your deal on the line, but your own stomach felt coiled tight and just waiting to snap. He didn't need to know that though.

“It’s going to go fine,” you told him instead. “They want to work with you too.”

“yeah, i know. just…” He trailed off and turned to stare out the window. “never mind.”

You wanted to press him for more but didn’t feel like you should. There was no need to make him more anxious than he already was and you didn't want him to go back to being distant. At least he was sort of speaking to you again.

The rest of the drive there was fairly quiet. You let Sans connect his phone to the radio so he could play whatever he wanted. You had really started to enjoy his music and it actually seemed to help him relax a little. It was peaceful, the sun sinking lower in the distance and striping the tall sycamores along the side of the road in soft oranges and reds. The low, rhythmic beats were like a wave of calm, steadily rising and falling to wash away any tension in the air.

Of course that only lasted until you made it into the city, the tall buildings towering over you just as intimidating as the mountain behind you. He had to turn down the music so you could keep your eyes peeled for unfamiliar street names as the GPS called them out and the van slowly worked its way through the crowded roads. Whenever you were stopped at a light or traffic slowed to a crawl, people on the sidewalks would stop dead and stare like you were on display in an exhibit.

Well, like Sans was.

“i’m tryin’ to decide if i should wave or roll down the window and say somethin’,” he mumbled as it was happening for probably the fifth time.

You had to try to cheer him up. “Maybe they’re just checking you out because you look so snazzy today?”

He hummed glumly, staring right back out at the humans gathered on the curb, gawking without shame. Some of them even had their phones out and were taking pictures. Or videos more than likely. If it weren’t for the fact that it would end up all over the internet, you would have flipped them off.

“You could say...oh, what did you say to me that one day?” 

“that’s a little vague.”

“I can’t exactly...you shook your bones at me as I pulled up?” you offered, hoping that he would remember for you.

He turned to look at you, sockets scrunched up as he thought. Then they went wide. “oh shit. you’re a genius.”

He reached for the window control button. You watched in horror as the glass, all that was separating him from the outside, went down. He stuck both arms out of the window, giving them a weak shake to achieve that hollow, dry rattle that reminded you of bamboo wind chimes.

“what’s crackalackin’?” he asked his unwanted, startled audience.

“Sans, no!” you hissed, reaching a hand towards him and stopping just short of pulling him back into the car. “I wasn’t serious!” 

“don’t ya know it’s rude to be spine on people? if ya gotta bone to pick with me, just say so.” He couldn’t have been less threatening if he tried. “ulna patella once to get lost.”

Some of them actually scattered instantly, but most of them just looked confused and a handful had started laughing. That was all the encouragement Sans needed and he looked like he was gearing up for more. Mercifully, traffic started moving again so you could drive away before it escalated any further.

“You’re such an instigator!” 

Sans moved back from the window. “hey, it was your suggestion.”

“You know I didn’t mean for you to actually  _ do  _ it!”

You couldn’t believe that had just happened. He was grinning too widely to pretend to be bummed out anymore though. So you didn’t feel even remotely bad as you rolled up his window and pressed the button for the childproof locks.

“aw, party pooper.”

“You know that’s going to be on InstaTube in like five minutes, right?” 

He still looked way too proud of himself. “good. if the club doesn’t work out then i can use that to kickstart my comedy career.”

He wasn’t so smug by the time the GPS directed you away from the shadows of the skyscrapers to a more industrial area, everything low, wide, and smelling like warm metal and air pollution. You found your destination, a large, gray warehouse, and pulled into the lot. It was bigger than you had expected it to be and the logo of a rabbit mid-leap over a bunch of hop flowers was displayed proudly on the front. You still had a few minutes until you had to go in and Sans seemed to be in no hurry to do that.

“The rabbit’s hopping over the hops,” you pointed out. “Seems like they’re our kind of people.”

That made him huff a little bit. “ya think so?”

“Yeah, I do. So do we have a game plan?”

Maybe you two should have talked about that before you were actually sitting in the parking lot. He ran his left hand over the top and down the back of his skull before resting it on the bit of spine you could see sticking out of the top of his collar. His phalanges drummed there in an uneasy  _ ratatata _ rhythm.

“uhhh...nope. should we?”

“I mean, no. We don’t have to. I just wasn’t sure if you wanted me to kind of be a quiet observer unless I notice something or what?”

“hell no. talk as much as you want. the more you do, the less i have to.” 

Then he took a long, drawn-out breath, the shape of his ribs pressing against the button-up. Then he took a few more for good measure like he was trying to slow his heart, but you knew that wasn’t something he had to worry about. Could skeletons have panic attacks? You had never seen him so worked up before and wanted to rub his shoulder or take his hand in yours, anything to help comfort him. If it were Papyrus you would of, but it wouldn’t have had the same effect on Sans.

So you did all you could do.

“Hey, whatever happens, happens,” you told him. “If they change their minds, then screw them. We'll harass every other brewery around until one of them gets their heads out of their asses. I know someone out there wants your money.”

He nodded, but he was still looking up at the building with nothing but trepidation shadowing the hard curves of his face. It was only then that it really hit you that the deal falling through was just a part of his worries. Far from the reservation, surrounded by people that wanted his kind gone, and the only person he knew was you, a human that he didn't even really like that much. Fear cinched your gut like a fist, but you knew that it was nothing compared to how he must have been feeling.

“We can leave right now,” you offered in the gentlest voice that you could muster. “Just turn around and go home. There's nothing wrong with putting your safety first, you know?”

The crease between his brown bones smoothed out a little as if he wasn't going to suggest that himself but hearing that it was an option was some small relief. His phalanges slowly came to a stop, ending their drum solo, and his hand flopped down into his lap. Then, with only the shortest second of hesitation, he rested it on the door handle.

“nah. we're already here.” His eye lights flickered up to the logo and he flashed you an uneasy grin. “at least they know how to laugh, right?”

Your chest suddenly felt full to bursting with the feelings you were starting to become familiar with when it came to him. So much compassion and concern. Gratitude and pride. Respect and admiration. A dizzying rush of affection. He was doing his best, doing what he had to do for his business and his people, and you knew you would never regret a single second you had spent helping him.

“Right. And I’m going to be with you the whole time,” you said, trying to gather up the courage to match your words. “The moment they get weird on us, I’ll bust us out of here, deal? I've never been in a fight before, but there'll definitely be one today if they try anything.”

That actually worked a snicker out of him before it petered out into a sigh. “guess that’s as good a backup plan as any.”

It really was the best that you had to offer.

Together you went through entrance they instructed you to use, the double doors right underneath the logo. They led to a dimly-lit, office area with grey-stained concrete floors, simple dark wood furniture spread sparsely throughout and high glass walls that separated the rooms. Through them, you could see into the rest of the warehouse where there were several large, stainless steel tanks and countless pipes running between them. Several people, all humans wearing gloves and safety glasses as they worked, were pushing carts or fiddling with the tanks. To the left side of the office space was a long bar with stools and to the right, a reception desk, both in the same dark wood as the rest of the furniture. A man was sitting behind a computer monitor there and he scrambled out of his seat as soon as he saw you, eyes the size of dinner plates.

“Whoooa—uh, I mean...hey! You must be Mr. Fontanelles, right?” he fumbled over his words as he quickly came around the desk.

He was fairly young and looked almost lost, his khaki shorts and t-shirt clashing hard with the modern decor around him. Now you were doubting your decisions and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed Sans tugging on his blazer again. Great.

“just sans is fine, if that’s alright with you.” Sans didn’t hesitate to offer his left hand, although you could see how stiff his smile and shoulders were as the kid took it.

And held onto it.

“Whoooa,” the kid repeated as if he couldn’t help it, staring down in awe at Sans’ pearl white phalanges contrasting with his own sun-kissed fingers. “You’re really freaking made out of bones, man! That’s nuts!”

Oh hell no.

Sans tried to laugh it off and pull back, but the kid just wasn’t letting go. He twisted their joined hands this way and that, breathing more exclamations and half-baked questions about how the skeleton’s body worked. All the while, Kill Bill sirens were sounding in your head.

You weren’t having  _ any  _ of that bullshit.

“Wow, Sans, why didn’t you tell me you were a skeleton?” you asked, keeping your tone light and playful, while also throwing your hand out insistently in between them. “I had no idea!”

“s’news to me too, pal,” he rasped out, every syllable tight and clipped despite the too-wide smile still splitting his face.

The kid startled at that, dropping Sans’ hand and jerking his head up to look at you. Without even really meaning to, your other hand had instinctively come to rest on Sans’ shoulder and you firmly nudged him back a step towards the door. Just in case. When the kid took your offered hand, his grip was careful and flighty. As soon as you told him your name, he tried to quickly pull away.

You tightened your hold on him before he could.

“And you are?” You still sounded and smiled as sweet as sugar all while keeping him pinned under your stare.

“Tobias Ruiz,” he blurted out like he couldn’t say it fast enough, fingers twitching in yours.

You recognized his name. Well, the last name anyways. He must have been the cousin of the owner.

“I remember Nolan mentioning you. Pleasure to meet you, Tobias.”

“You...too?”

You glanced back at Sans to see that he was sweating again and his grin was so tight that it looked more like a grimace, but otherwise he was okay. He gave you a small, almost imperceptible nod to confirm it. Only then did you let go. Tobias took his hand back gratefully, wringing it nervously with the other, and he started rocking back and forth on his heels.

“Um, sorry. I didn’t think that one through,” he said after a beat, his expression contrite. “I was just really excited to meet a monster for the first time...and you’re a freaking skeleton! But, uh, that still wasn’t cool. My bad, man.”

“no hard feelings, buddy,” Sans said easily enough, but you could hear the coolness in the words.

Tobias didn’t seem to notice, visibly deflating as he let out a warm laugh. “Oh, good. Wouldn’t want to piss you off! Veronica’d kill me!” Then he frowned. “...Think maybe we can keep this between us? Veronica  _ will  _ kill me.”

That was very good to know.

“We’re supposed to be meeting with her, right?” you asked instead of agreeing. “Veronica Ruiz?”

“Oh, right! Yeah! Let me go get her!”

He spun on his heels and hurried over to the set of stairs behind the reception desk that you hadn’t noticed before. Once he was gone, you could feel Sans relax under the hand you still had on his boney shoulder. You instantly dropped it, shooting him a sheepish look of your own. 

“Sorry,” you whispered to him. “I just reacted.”

Instead of the frigid, fake smile he’d given Tobias or the muted irritation you’d seen from him before, he just seemed unsure. You usually found that little furrow between his eye sockets cute while he was working on something at the club, but it was just concerning when he turned it on you. His eye lights flickered back and forth over your face, as if he was trying to find something, but didn’t know what.

“no, uh...thanks for having my back?”

Before you could ask him any more, Tobias was back with a woman in tow.

She was tall, gorgeous, and probably in her early forties. Her dress was simple, black, and really worked with the black and pink pumps she wore. You didn’t miss the diamonds dangling from her ears or the way the silver bracelets on her wrists clinked together. Despite both of them sharing bronzed complexions and dark curls, Tobias looked even more out of place at her side.

Suddenly you felt a lot better about your outfit choice than before.

“How good to finally meet you, Sans,” she greeted him with all the warmth of an old friend and stepped forward with one of her perfectly manicured hands stretched out. “I’m Veronica Ruiz.”

Sans probably wasn’t really ready to forfeit his personal space again, but he didn’t let that stop him and when he spoke, his voice was as lax as ever. “you too. s’good to put a face to the one behind the emails.”

As soon as he stepped back, his hands moved to bury themselves in a hoodie pocket that wasn’t there and they fell limp at his sides. Other than that, it was impressive how tight of a lid Sans managed to keep on his nerves. To her credit, Veronica didn’t outwardly react to touching a skeleton, but there was no missing the small glances she was casting between you and Sans as if she was trying to connect the dots.

Sans took the hint. He tilted his head towards you without looking away from her, introducing you. “she designed my whole club, but today she gets to be my beer consultant too since i don’t have much experience with the stuff.”

“Well, that just won’t do, will it?” Veronica asked with a laugh, shaking your hand as well. “Good thing the plan for today is to get you a little more familiar with our product and what we do here, so you’ll definitely leave knowing more than you do now. Shall we head over to the bar?”

Sans glanced up at you, just the briefest shift of his eye lights, and again you felt the urge to reach out to him, to ground him in some way. Instead, you just gave him an encouraging smile. That seemed to be what he needed because he looked back at Veronica and nodded.

“yeah, been lookin’ forward to it all week. lead the way.”

All of their different brews were proudly displayed in fancy kegs behind the bar and kept on tap. Tobias tagged along, although Veronica was the one doing most of the speaking and she went through them one by one, giving you quick descriptions. They all had fun, off-the-wall names that Sans really appreciated and actually gave a few, genuine chuckles at. Your favorites were “Citra Ass Down” and “The Holy Spirit.” You couldn’t wait to give them a try.

Too bad Sans couldn’t stand a single one of them.

You could tell the instant he tipped the tasting glass back to his mouth. Thankfully, the other two didn’t seem to notice, either too unfamiliar with how his face worked or too amazed to see that nothing was falling out of him, but you could see the small contortion and puckers in his bones. He would immediately make eye contact with you as he took a sip, practically begging you to bail him out.

It was a good thing you didn’t mind beer too much and could give them actual feedback. All in all, their drinks were more than good and although you really only had a drink or two of each, it didn’t sit too heavy in your stomach like beer usually did. You made sure to speak first, sharing your opinions with enthusiasm and allowing Sans to agree with whatever you said. Thank goodness he was such a good bullshitter.

Once the tasting was done, they gave you a tour of the rest of the brewery, taking you through the glass walls into the rest of the warehouse. They walked you through the rows of tanks and complicated network of piping and hoses, explaining the process as they went. At first, they seemed to only be giving the cut and dry version, but Sans had told you to talk more and so you did. You kept asking questions until it turned into a whole little lesson. Not that Veronica minded; in fact, she seemed more than happy to give you the full run down.

Sans didn’t say it, but the small smile he shot you made it seem like he appreciated it too.

You found out that all beer starts out as basically water, hops, yeast, and some kind of grain. Over the Hop had a few different varieties, but their most popular drink used a specialty mix that included crystal malts to get the exact taste and color they wanted. To malt the grains, they need to be heated up and dried out to separate the particular enzymes in the grain that are necessary for the next step.

That step is called mashing and you really expected it to be about crushing up everything into a paste, but no. They are actually steeped in hot, but not boiling water to activate the enzymes in the grain, breaking them down further, and releasing their sugars. When the water is drained there’s a sweet, sticky liquid called wort left behind that needs be repeatedly boiled with the hops and other spices. Hops were originally used as a natural preservative, but their bitterness also balances out the sugars in the wort so it doesn’t come out too sweet.

From there it’s cooled, strained and filtered before being put into a fermenting vessel with yeast for a few weeks. As it ferments, the sugars in the wort become ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. Then it’s ready to be bottled and carbonated, but it still needs to age for a few more weeks before it will finally be ready to drink.

Veronica went on to assure you that their equipment was the real deal, quality installation and maintenance all around. Sans had seemed to chill out a little by that point, slipping in every alcohol-related pun he could think of to get them laughing and he asked them for more details on how the fermentation vessels worked. They were all already in use so they couldn’t give a demonstration, but they explained some things like how there were different temperatures for different types of beer, that the cylindroconical shape of the vessels allowed better mixing by convection currents and that the capacity of the brewery was determined by how many vessels they had. Veronica was very quick to tell you that they had more enough to keep Rock Bottom and the rest of their customers well-stocked.

After the tour ended, you all went upstairs to Veronica’s office to discuss some facts and figures. It was rather huge, almost the size of the entire area downstairs, had its own bathroom, and was decorated in the same, sleek and modern style. She even had another whole bar up there. Even though it felt fairly isolated from the floor below, it still had glass walls that allowed her to oversee what was happening in the rest of the warehouse. She had you all sit on the black leather couches in the middle of the room while they talked, offering more drinks, which you declined on account of having to drive. Sans just didn't want any more beer.

Not that he actually said that, but you knew.

That conversation, for the most part, you stayed out of since it was all Sans. You weren’t sure how he was going to handle it with how nervous he had been before, but when it came time to go over everything, he was his cool, casual self and led the conversation with ease. Looking over documents, setting time frames, negotiating on wholesale prices and so on. Papyrus was obviously the more bubbly of the brothers, but Sans had his own special brand of low-key charisma and charm that worked for him.

It really worked for Veronica too. He had her laughing the whole time. Tobias seemed to be the real jokester of the two of them, giving it right back to Sans every time, but she clearly shared his sense of humor. It actually made it a little hard for the three of them to have a serious conversation, but it was Sans’ way and they did manage to work out the important details, albeit a little slowly.

All in Sans’ favor, you thought, if his satisfied little grin said anything.

What you gathered from their discussion was that Over the Hop was one of the first microbreweries in the area, much older and more established, but all of the new upstarts were crowding the industry and making it hard to find new customers with so many different options floating around. They were still fairly profitable, so they were just looking for something steady and long-term to fill the space of an old account, which Sans was more than happy to do.

They weren’t going to sign anything that day. Sans would need to get with his lawyer and them with theirs, draw up some sort of agreements on their partnership, but you left them with more handshakes and friendly goodbyes. It was nearly dark outside when you finally walked out into the cool, evening air, but before you could get back to the van, the double doors opened again and Tobias followed you out.

You had all but forgotten his earlier assholery because he'd been on his best behavior in the presence of Victoria, but it was front and center in your mind as he approached by himself. You didn’t hesitate to step closer to Sans, more than ready to be a human barrier if need be, and again, without the conscious decision to do so, you reached back to guide him away. Only he didn't budge this time and you just ended up gripping his upper arm. He was as silent as a grave at your side, just slightly behind you, and you almost jumped when his own hand came up to your lower back.

Bunching the fabric there between his phalanges.

None of this was lost on Tobias.

“Uhhh, sooo…” He stopped a few feet away and started rocking on his heels again, eyes darting back and forth between you, Sans, and the space between where your arms overlapped. “I don't really like beer either.”

Wait, what?

“I’m sorry?” you asked, not following.

Tobias was looking mostly at Sans, although his eyes did occasionally drift over to you before snapping back to Sans. “Beer. Never really been a huge fan myself, but it's the family biz, you know?”

“o...kay?”

Sans was clearly as lost as you were.

“But Veronica loves the stuff. She's devoted her whole life to it and this place. So I really appreciate you sticking around and giving us a second chance after I totally dropped the ball earlier.” He looked back at the double doors with a laugh. “And for not telling Veronica. She was already majorly ticked off that I forgot to dress nice today.”

As Tobias fumbled in his pocket for a moment, Sans’ phalanges dug in tighter and he tugged you closer. Just ever so slightly so, but enough that you could feel his body heat and the low hum of magic thrumming through the air between you. His hand at your back almost seemed to vibrate with it. Tobias pulled something out, a card it looked like, and when he offered it to you, you took it automatically. You were too stunned at that point, by the behavior of the human and the skeleton both, to form questions.

“So yeah, if you guys ever want to go out for a real drink sometime, let me know. Both of you. On me. As thanks and an apology.” He waved over his shoulder as he strolled back inside. “Hope to hear from you two soon! Night!”

Leaving you and Sans alone, holding each other tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Invading personal space; insensitivity about differences between monsters and humans; fear/potential of being attacked
> 
> This was originally a massively large chapter that needed to be split up into three parts. I'm talking like 10k+ words. So hopefully it's not too choppy, but I'm really excited for everything that's coming up. I mean...this is the closest we've gotten to the skelly so far, right? ;)
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	13. Better Safe Than Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans have a few chill moments. And of course, it couldn't last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

“what...the hell?”

You turned to Sans, finding him looking just as perplexed as you felt. And a lot closer than you expected. There was barely even a sliver of space between you, he must have gravitated towards you during that whole, strange encounter, and his eye lights met your eyes as he realized that for himself. 

There was a moment. 

A spark.

It was small and so fast that it could have just been static but it wasn’t painful. It was  _ something  _ though, prickling through the points where your hand and his still lingered on one another. You couldn’t make anything else out about it, it was over too quickly. You paused, waiting to see if it would happen again or if he had felt it too, but it didn’t.

Sans didn’t seem to have noticed it either. He still just looked confused and suddenly a little sweaty. His hand on your back went slack and fell away as he side-stepped awkwardly, taking the warm buzz with him. 

The late spring night suddenly felt so much chillier without it.

“sorry, i, uh, just reacted?” he mumbled, offering your own reasoning from before.

Maybe that  _ something  _ had just been his usual magic? He had explained that every monster’s was different and Papyrus was the only other monster you'd ever touched. It was curious and something you’d normally want to ask him about, but you were effectively distracted by the skeleton in front of you.

“Well, I’m glad you had my back,” you returned his earlier gratitude, smiling ear to ear. You couldn’t help but be a little bit happy that he had been concerned for you too. “Literally.”

He snorted, his cheekbones blue even in the washed out light from the moon and security lights posted around the building. Clearly, he was trying to play it off like he hadn’t been as caught off guard as you were. Forget dimples and furrowed bones,  _ that _ was probably the most adorable he’d ever looked. Why was it so hard for you to stop yourself from teasing him?

“you good?” he asked, sounding like he regretted it even as the words were leaving his mouth.

Then you just couldn't help yourself.

“You  _ do  _ care about this horrible, awful human!” you blurted out gleefully.

Maybe you were more than a  _ little  _ happy. It was incredibly sweet of him, honestly. Even if he was just returning the favor, you hadn't expected it and the gesture had you feeling as light as a feather.

“someone's gotta finish makin’ the club look pretty and it ain't gonna be me.” He cleared his nonexistent throat and nodded to the card you'd almost forgotten about entirely. “lemme see that.”

You handed it to him and together you hovered over it to read. It was Tobias’ business card, all of his professional information listed there beside Over the Hop’s logo. His phone number was even circled with pen and he had scribbled a little smiley face next to it.

“huh.”

After spending all evening with him and now the card, Tobias really did seem harmless. Tactless in a way that put you to shame, but harmless. Then again, he had been observant enough to catch on that Sans wasn't exactly a beer enthusiast. You weren't so sure what to make of him yet, honestly.

“Maybe he's not so bad?”

“no way. not happening.” Sans shut that line of thought down instantly.

“But he doesn't like beer either!” you protested with more passion than you really felt, fighting the playful grin taking over your face.

Sans didn't buy it and pretended that he didn’t hear you, stuffing the card into his wallet. Probably to never be seen again, if the staggering amount of reward cards inside were any indication. You led the way to the van, happily plopping back into the seat and Sans followed.

“whooo,” he breathed, sinking into his own seat and tilting his skull back against the headrest. “can’t believe that actually went alright. other than that guy's weirdness, anyway.”

“Me either, especially with the faces you made every time you took a drink.”

He made a short gagging noise and gave you an unusually serious look. “be real, was any of that stuff really good to you? ‘cuz it all tasted like liquid ass to me.”

“Question...how do you know what liquid ass tastes like?”

“ya know what i mean.”

“No, I’ve never had it. Are you like a liquid ass connoisseur or…?”

He tried to give you a flat, unamused stare, but his twitching dimples gave him away.

“It was pretty good for beer,” you finally relented. “Not my favorite, but perfect for what you’re looking for.”

“thank god. i never wanna have to do that again.”

You rolled your eyes. “It wasn’t that bad, drama queen.”

“it really was,” he said. “you gotta try our drinks sometime. trust me, you'll never wanna touch that shit ever again.”

“Okay, well since we're almost done at the club, you should bring some next time and I'll bring more junk food that you haven't tried,” you said. “You can finish up the lights tipsy, right?”

“now i know you're trying to kill me.”

You laughed, trying to ignore the twinge of sadness that went through you at the thought of your last time at Rock Bottom, and started the car. The town you lived in wasn’t too far from the city, but the reservation was further out than that, and you still had to go back home after dropping him off. No reasonable bedtime for you. Again.

“are ya okay for the drive?” he asked suddenly.

“Oh yeah, definitely.”

It had been well over an hour since you’d sampled the beers and you really didn't have much, not even amounting to a full glass in total. There was no way you were anywhere close to the legal limit and you felt perfectly fine.

“ya sure? i can drive if you aren’t.”

“You drank too.”

“i drank as little as i possibly could and ‘sides, your alcohol doesn’t do anything to us. it just tastes digustin’ as hell.”

That was something that you didn’t know. The taste of beer might not be worth it if it had no effect on him. You supposed it wouldn’t hurt to be on the safe side, but you still didn’t want to make him drive.

“Are you hungry?”

He seemed surprised by the question. “i mean...i guess. kinda starvin’ actually. why?”

“How about this? You drive us to get some food real quick and we’ll switch back on the way home.”

Sans seemed to consider it before giving you a shrug. “okay, yeah. think that stuff messed up my stomach too.”

“Really? Maybe food would hel—I’m so done with you.”

For the first time in days, he laughed like his usual self. The full, real one. It was probably just the relief from the meeting going well and Tobias not wanting to kill you, yet you couldn’t help but feel warmer at the sound of it. You swapped places with him and you had to admit that it was strange being on the passenger side of your own vehicle. Sans had to adjust the seat quite a bit, with only minimal needling and giggling from you, so he could actually see what he was doing.

“This is really weird. Do you even have your license? I should’ve probably asked that first.”

“sure do. no guarantees about me bein’ a good driver though. i’ve only driven on the res.”

“Oh goodie. Please don’t kill us.”

“like i said, no promises. do you really want food or do ya just want me to drive back?”

“I thought you were hungry. It’s a decent drive back if you wait.”

“hmm. i am, but i can hold off if ya wanna.”

“I can  _ always _ eat,” you refuted, making him chuckle. “What do you want?”

“anything.”

“That's not an answer.”

He drove in circles around the area for a few minutes while you squabbled back and forth about where to go. There were so many restaurants on the busy strip that it was hard to narrow it down, especially when you both wanted the other person to pick, but you did manage to agree that something with a drive-thru would be better. For obvious reasons. Eventually, you pointed out a Burrito Bell and he went right for it, following your directions to the back of the line wrapped around the building.

You just got a normal meal, you had already eaten dinner before you left to make absolutely sure you wouldn't get tipsy from an empty stomach. Mostly you wanted to get something to drink to wash the bitterness of the beer out of your mouth. Sans, on the other hand, seemed a little stumped by the huge, backlit menu beside the car.

“uhhhh…”

“Sorry, just a second,” you spoke up for him.

“Take your time,” the bored voice said through the speaker.

Sans shot you an almost helpless look. “s’my first time here so i dunno what to get.”

His first time at a Burrito Bell? There was practically one on every other street anymore. It was America’s favorite late-night eats option. If it were anyone else, you would have asked if he had been living under a rock, but...he actually had been. Just a really, really big one called Mt. Ebott.

“Okay, so the ones with the numbers are value meals and they come with drinks. If you don’t want all of that, then you can order things separately and they’re over there,” you explained patiently, pointing everything out as you went. “then they have some dessert stuff and slushies down there.”

“ohhhhkay.”

None of that seemed to help him at all. Now that he knew how it all worked, he just seemed even more overwhelmed. Two cars pulled in behind you, one right after the other.

“Are there any questions that I can answer for you, sir?” the voice chimed in again.

Which just startled Sans into blurting out some stuff. A lot of stuff. Like half the menu.

“Dude,” you said to him as soon as he pulled away from the speaker.

“what?”

“How do you spend almost forty bucks at Burrito Bell?”

“i panicked. guess it’s a good thing i forgot to eat earlier.” 

You wondered if that was because he’d been so nervous. When you made your way through the line to the window, Sans tried to give them his credit card. You immediately swatted it away and reached across him to give the startled cashier your own debit card.

“what the heck. i got way more than you did.”

“It’s fine. It’s just food.”

“yeah, but yours cost like seven bucks.”

“Good thing I made out so well on my last job, huh?”

Sans didn't argue after that. He handed you the two heavy, greasy bags of food and parked in the lot to eat. Taking the time to stuff your faces before you got back on the road would give you plenty of time to be one-hundred percent good for the drive back.

It occurred to you, mid-taco, that it was the first time Sans was eating around you. You’d gone to lunch with Papyrus plenty of times now, so you’d gotten used to it, but whenever you had brought Sans cookies or other snacks he always waited until you weren’t around to get into them. You probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought past that, but one little thing caught your eye and you found yourself unable to look away from him.

And Sans caught you, as always. 

He shut his mouth with a snap, seeming embarrassed. “what? haven't ya ever seen a skeleton eat before?”

You almost said that you had, but you weren’t sure if Papyrus had talked to Sans about leaving the reservation on his own yet so you left that part out.

“That’s not it…” you said slowly, feeling your cheeks start to warm at being caught staring. “Are...are your teeth pointed, Sans?”

“oh...these?” Sans slowly parted his jaws, pressing a phalange to the tip of a tooth. “yeah, yours aren’t like this, right?”

Seeing his mouth wide open like that, you could better see all the ways it was different from your own. You had already noticed that his skull was rounder and his bottom jaw wasn’t separated or as narrow as Papyrus’ was, so his teeth were actually inside of his skull a bit, rather than making up the outside. Ridges of bone that were nothing like lips acted as his mouth, which you knew he could move enough to have different types of smiles. He had a prominent overbite that normally hid the bottom row of teeth and the very edge of the top row behind those ridges. That must have been the reason you never saw the four thick, sharp canines, now on full display for you.

“No way. Do you know how often I bite my tongue? I’d have bled out a long time ago with those.”

“you bite your tongue? what the hell. why?”

“Not on purpose.”

“okay...but how?”

You took a quick drink to make sure there was no unwanted see-food and opened your own mouth for comparison. His eyes lights instantly traced the flat line of your teeth, as if to confirm for himself that they weren’t really pointed. Then they went lower, obviously finding the appendage you had mentioned. You politely demonstrated it...by sticking it out at him.

“that’s so weird,” he murmured quietly, more to himself than anything, and his sockets narrowed as he continued to look. “glad i don’t have to always worry ‘bout that thing gettin’ in the way.”

“Don’t other monsters have tongues?” you asked.

“yeah, guess so. some don’t even have mouths though, so it’s hit or miss.”

“Okay, no offense, but how in the hell do they live?” 

“they figure it out.” The look you gave him must’ve done a good job of conveying your absolute and total confusion, making him snicker as he continued, “some monsters don’t gotta eat. they can absorb magic and shit like that, but i’m not an expert on all that. i just know they’re still kickin’ without one, so whatever they’re doing works.”

“Okay, so why is my tongue  _ so weird  _ if some monsters don’t have whole freaking mouths?” you challenged, unable to stop smiling at the pointless debate you had managed to stir up.

“‘cuz we got so much stuff in common and then we don’t.” He pointed at your mouth and you helpfully peeked the tip of your tongue out at him. “like that creepy thing. what’s the point of it other than lookin’ like a fat, pink slug hangin’ out of your mouth all the time?”

You choked from how hard that made you inhale, sputtering into giggles. “A fat, pink slug? I didn’t know my tongue was overweight! Thanks!”

“well...that’s what it looks like,” he said flatly and then he blinked. “wait, i don’t mean that in a bad way. it just...it’s weird.”

You were still giggling as you explained, “It helps us talk and eat. I wouldn’t be able to say or taste anything without it...Hold on, how come you can do things without one?”

“my superior, magical anatomy wins over that slimy lump. ‘sides i could just conjure one up if i really needed to but i don't.”

Of course, you should’ve known magic would be the answer. It always was. Just conjure up a— 

“Hold the hell on!  _ Conjure _ ? You can magic up a freaking  _ tongue _ ?” you asked in disbelief.

He looked a little cocky at your reaction, as he always did whenever you lost your shit over magic. “yeah. i told ya. superior magical anatomy.”

You were practically vibrating in place. How? How could you ask him to do it without being a total weirdo? And Tobias had been so rude about his curiosity before. You didn't want to do the same exact thing.

Apparently, Sans could clearly see the request written all over your face and sighed like you were asking the world of him. Before you could really feel bad for it, he closed his eye sockets, pale light filtered through his teeth, and when he opened his mouth again you nearly shrieked. There it was, hanging from his mouth in the same way you'd stuck your own tongue out at him. 

It was  _ blue _ !

It didn't look solid at all. In fact, it seemed to be made of the same luminescent light you had seen surround objects while he was manipulating their gravity and you could make out the outline of his teeth through it. Almost like a hologram. It was also smooth on the surface, no taste buds or texture you could discern from its otherworldly glow. 

You never wanted to stick your hands in someone's mouth so badly before.

“And it works? Just like a normal tongue?” you asked, giving it the same careful once over that Sans had given yours.

“‘unno,” he fumbled around it, the ghostly appendage twitching. “‘ever uze ih.”

It faded away, leaving the space between his teeth empty and dark once more. 

“never use it,” he clarified.

“Why the heck not?”

“no need.”

You were a little sad to see it go. Magical monster shenanigans were just too cool. You really wanted...to make him lick a stamp or  _ something _ .

“This is blowing my mind.”

He smirked to himself as he took another bite of his burrito. “s’not a big deal. i told ya. monsters make it work when we gotta.”

“I can’t believe I’m getting crap for my tongue that I  _ need  _ because you don't have to use one and can just magic one up willy-nilly. And you have  _ fangs _ ! Like a vampire or something.” You frowned at him. “Okay, that's a little cool, I’ll admit it. But only a little bit.”

He snorted. “fang you very much. ya know, i’m surprised you’re just now noticin’ my teeth ‘cuz you always stare at me like a weirdo.”

“I wasn’t...okay, I was, but not like that!”

Sans chuckled but thankfully didn’t keep teasing you.

“i was actually really disappointed when i found out you guys have mostly flat teeth,” he said. “it used to be an old argument between me and paps. i always thought ya would have teeth like me ‘til we found a human anatomy book.”

“Why  _ are  _ your teeth different?”

“beats me,” he shrugged a little too nonchalantly. “but what does the best dentist of the year get?”

Whoa, abrupt subject change. Was he self-conscious about his teeth? He seemed fine at first, but you didn’t want to keep asking about them if he was.

“Okay, I’ll bite,” you said and Sans’s taut smile relaxed at your wordplay, clearly relieved. “What?”

“a little plaque.”

You laughed and then got excited as you thought of an old on.

“How did the dentist become a brain surgeon?”

“dunno, how?”

“His drill slipped.”

Sans paused, almost seeming to need a moment to process that and then he was cackling. “that’s messed up. man, i don’t even have one and that made me cringe.”

Somehow, someway, you had found that easy, breezy back and forth with him again. Even if it was just to get through the evening, you appreciated having it for as long as it lasted. You had almost finished eating when Sans started looking persistently at the side view mirror outside his window.

“What is it?” you asked, twisting around in your seat to look behind you.

“i think those guys are starin’ at us.”

“What guys?”

“the ones in the truck.”

You found who he was talking about easily. There was a lifted truck parked across the lot with massive tires, two smokestacks sticking over the back of the cab, and a huge light bar above the windshield. Two guys sat inside it and they were definitely staring right at you and Sans. Sure, plenty of humans had started at the two of you that evening, but something about them came off as aggressive rather than ignorantly curious. A shiver ran down your spine as you made eye contact with the one in the driver’s seat and he didn’t even bother to pretend that he wasn’t looking.

“Oookay, that’s really freaking creepy...think it’s because of you?”

You probably didn't need to ask by that point, the track record of rude humans was stacked against you, but a small part of you really hoped. Things were going so well, Sans was joking and laughing with you again. He felt like a friend again, just for a little while. Couldn't the rest of the evening continue without any more incidents so you could enjoy it?

But he just gave a low hum in response, refusing to look away from the mirror. 

“Maybe one of them wants to take you out for drinks too?” you tried lightly.

Sans’ eye lights had never rolled so hard. “let’s just get outta here.”

That wasn’t a bad idea. Sans could still keep eating while you drove, so you quickly swapped seats again, looking over your shoulders the whole time, and pulled out of the lot. Neither of you spoke again for a few minutes, eyes trained on the mirrors to see if they would follow. It was only after you’d gotten several blocks away with no sign of them that you felt like you could breathe again.

Sans’ good mood was long gone by that point, taking the friendly atmosphere with it. Not that you were really in a playful mood anymore yourself. You were just sad to see the shutters come back down so quickly.

Papyrus really needed to talk to Sans about leaving the reservation. As soon as possible. There were just too many ways that it could go wrong to continue keeping it from him.

You offered to let him put his music back on, but he declined, more interested in finishing off his food in silence and looking back at the mirror from time to time. You couldn’t help but sneak the occasional peek yourself, but thankfully there was only the usual traffic that lightened up the farther out you got from the city. You drove for a while like that, just quietly coasting down the road until Mt. Ebott wasn’t too far off, the reservation a smatter of lights around its base in the distance.

“uh…”

You looked over at the skeleton briefly. He was staring straight ahead and went to put his hands into pockets that weren’t there again, but flopped them onto his lap when he realized. You recognized the nervous little move from earlier and it reignited your own anxiety.

“can we talk ‘bout some stuff?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Talking tongues, slightly suggestive wording, blatant displays of prejudice
> 
> This one is a little short because I decided to cut out some stuff to be used later, so I hope you enjoy this (mostly) laidback intermission. :) Also, because I'm curious, any thoughts on what color the reader's soul is? And what color do you think yours is? 
> 
> I'm a little behind on comments too, but no worries! I'm catching up very shortly tonight. Thank you all so much. <3
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	14. A Rock And A Hard Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for you and Sans to get it _all_ out there. Maybe you should have let him drive back after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

“can we talk ‘bout some stuff?”

Usually, anything that followed that kind of question didn’t end well, but you did your best to soothe the panicked beat building in your chest. You had been talking all evening with no problems. Why should things go any different now?

“Yeah, of course.”

How you managed to say that so calmly was beyond you. Sans didn’t start speaking right away, picking at some imaginary lint on his pants. With every second that passed, your thoughts spiraled a little further as you tried to figure out exactly what you had done wrong.

“i wanna say thanks again for comin’ with today...and just for helpin’ out in general,” he finally said. “you did a lot of stuff you didn’t have to and stepped up when i had no clue what I was doin’.”

Oh, that was so much better than the direction you had been expecting the conversation to go. Not that you really had any good reason to expect anything terrible, but still every muscle in your body seemed to unclench in relief. Perhaps your nerves were just getting the best of you after all. 

“You don't give yourself enough credit. I’m sure you could’ve figured it out, I’ve never met someone more capable than you,” you told him, meaning every word. “I mean, you couldn't watch yourself with Veronica and Tobias earlier, but I got to see you doing your thing. And the way you talked the price down? You practically charmed their pants off.”

You weren't sure if it was the praise or the figurative undressing you had hinted at, but the littlest bit of color crept back into his face. It really was magical. In the way those plastic glow-in-the-dark decals from your childhood would subtly stand out against the dark, just the faintest, pastel blue light seemed to emanate from his stark cheekbones.

“no, uh, that’s not...uh,” he stumbled over his words briefly. “i mean i wouldn’t have even got the opportunity to meet with those guys if it weren’t for you.”

“That was all Nolan,” you refuted firmly.

You weren’t going to take any credit away from his part in the whole thing.

“oh. right. guess tobias was the friend he knew?” 

“I guess so? Unless there’s another cousin of the owner that we didn’t meet.”

Sans looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head. “yeah, i really appreciate him doin’ that, but the only reason he even brought it up is ‘cuz you were trying to fix things. not gonna lie, there for a minute i wasn't sure we were gonna be able to make it happen at all. now we're almost there. have an opening night set and everythin’. i don’t think that woulda happened, least not so fast, without ya lendin’ a hand.”

His words had you feeling lighter. Happier. It really wasn't about the gratitude or acknowledgment of what you had done. It just meant a lot to you that you really did make a difference for them and that it was coming from Sans, of all people.

“I was glad to do it and you made it more than worth it, so don’t mention it.”

“yeah, about that. i know you took off today for this and i prolly didn't say it, but today was covered.”

You didn’t understand. “Covered?”

“yeah, course i wasn’t gonna drag ya all the way out to the city without paying ya.”

That halted your little happy train right in its tracks, but he was still going.

“s’the normal rate okay? wait. no. this had nothing to do with your usual stuff so i should prolly do more than that, right? you paid for the food too.”

That small bubble of joy in your chest burst completely and you were sinking. Hard and fast. The corners of your mouth quickly follow suit.

“Really, don't worry about it.”

“i told ya, i don't feel right not payin’ ya for your time.”

The sentiment was nice and all, but so not the point. In fact, his insistence on overpaying you for everything was starting to make you feel cheap and greedy. Like money was all you cared about. Is that really how you came off to him?

You had been doing your best to keep your thoughts to yourself. Trying so hard not to topple the tentative peace between you, but now you were thinking that maybe Papyrus was right after all. Maybe Sans really did need you to spell it out for him.

“I’m all for getting paid for my art, Sans, that’s what I do, but I don’t want you to pay me for  _ this _ .” You waved the hand that wasn’t on the steering wheel in the space between you and him. “I didn’t come with you today just to line my pockets some more.”

He was quiet for a long moment and you looked over to him. He was staring at you, head cocked and skull creased between his brown bones. His eye lights had even shrunk to two bright pinpricks and his smile couldn’t be more transparent. It was like you had just said the most confusing thing in the world.

You had seen that look on his face before. Several times actually and you recognized it now for what it was. When you wouldn't take his money for the tape, when he asked if you were planning on attacking the reservation, when he found out you were a student. Whenever he questioned anything you said or did and especially when you had moved between him and Tobias.

It was blatant and obvious  _ doubt. _

“why?”

“Why what?” you asked, a bit of exasperation creeping into your voice.

“why are you doing this? none of this affects you. i know what it means for us. if the club takes off or crashes and burns, either way, nothin’ changes for you. we’re the only ones that have to deal with what happens after.”

The distance that his words put between you felt like a chasm, yawning and uncrossable. “Us” and “we” didn’t apply to you anymore, no more familiar camaraderie to be found. There was you and there was him.  _ Them _ . 

And he wasn’t wrong.

“I know it has nothing to do with me. I know how you feel about us...about me. I can see it every time you look at me that you don’t trust me, not even a little bit.” You let out a soft, pitiful little laugh. “And I don’t blame you for that. How could I after seeing first-hand how most humans act towards you? I can only imagine how hard it probably was for you to even consider hiring me in the first place.”

He didn’t even try to deny any of it, listening to you without a word. You both knew better anyways. The course of the evening had only cemented the fact that his distrust was well-earned. 

“But you did. You took a risk on me for the sake of Rock Bottom. You put yourself in danger just by going out to the city tonight. So I know how important this is to you, how much you have riding on this. It’s your livelihood. It’s progress between monsters and humans. It’s  _ important _ .”

“yeah...to us. what do  _ you  _ get out of all that?”

“Do I have to get something out of it? After you told me what a big deal it really is for you guys and I saw for myself how much crap you’ve had to deal with to get it going, I wanted to do whatever I could to make sure it happens for you. Isn’t that a good enough reason?”

He huffed out an empty, unamused laugh of his own. “not in my experience.”

When did he get so hard-headed all of a sudden? It was like talking to a freaking brick wall. 

“Well, I’m not trying to get anything,” you said a little sharper than you meant to and you quickly reeled it back in, trying to put your honest sincerity into your words. “I’ve seen how much time and effort you put into the club. Jesus, Sans, you look like you don’t even know what sleep is half the time because you’ve been busting your ass so much. I…”

You felt your cheeks start to burn, but there was no holding back now.

“I really, really admire that about you.”

“you admire me lookin’ like shit?” he asked, the incredulous look on his face matching the tone of his voice to a T.

Despite yourself, that made you snort. “No, of course not. I just know what you're trying to do isn’t easy, but it’s such a great thing and you’ll be the first one to ever try it. I appreciate that you’re pushing through and giving your all. I want to make things easier for you. If I can.”

If possible, he looked even more bewildered at that. It was like you were speaking a totally foreign language to him. Had it really not occurred to him how hardworking he actually was and that someone might find that admirable?

“...makes no damn sense…” he mumbled under his breath, but you could hear it just fine.

God, you were trying so hard to be understanding. You could see the logic behind it, could line it all up in neat little rows in your head and knew that it made perfect sense for him to feel that way, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell. You had told yourself that you had accepted that Sans didn’t want to be friends, that it would be fine, but there was the burning in the base of your throat and that ache in your heart anyways.

What else could you do but put it all out there for him and hope for the best?

“Papyrus is my friend, I care about him a lot, and I'd like to think of you that way too...maybe?” 

When he just stared at you, not saying anything, you quickly hurried on, your voice shrinking in volume to match how minuscule you felt.

“I'm not a lawyer or an electrician or anything else super useful, but I really don't like to leave things unfinished and I think I can be a decent friend sometimes. That's really all I was trying to do, Sans, be a good friend to you guys, and I sincerely apologize if I overstepped or did anything you didn't like.”

There was a pause. It was so heavy, so charged with things left unspoken that you couldn't bring yourself to be the one to end it. To even look at him. Then Sans exhaled like he had been holding it in, like he’d been waiting to say what came next for way too long.

“s’that why you have paps comin’ to see ya so much?”

The temperature in the van seemed to drop a few degrees. So Sans knew. Papyrus must have mustered up the courage to bring it up to him after all, which was good for him. Maybe not so good for you though. You had a bad feeling that was exactly the topic that he had wanted address from the start.

“so you say you get how we’re treated, yeah? you got a little more up close and personal with it tonight, i’ll give ya that, but you know what those humans that got onto the reservation were planning to do, right?” he continued, his voice a low simmer. 

“You know I do,” you said tensely, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “You were right there when Papyrus told me and I don’t think you were really asleep.”

His sockets narrowed and brow bones slanted sharply, the closest thing to angry that you had ever seen on his face. “okay, so if ya really care about paps, if you’re tellin’ the truth, how can ya claim to be a good friend when you let him put himself out there like that all the time?”

Molten indignation flared in your veins at that. 

“That’s not even fair, Sans,” you refuted firmly. “I have no say in what Papyrus does and you know that.”

“yeah, but you’re the reason he’s off the reservation in the first place.” 

“No, not really!”

“he leaves to see you, right?”

Things were escalating quickly and if you weren’t careful, it would be a full blown argument. That was the absolute last thing you wanted. You paused for a moment before answering, swallowing a deep, measured breath. 

“Yeah, he does,” you said, keeping your tone careful and just loud enough to be heard. “And Nolan too. The very next time I saw him after we met, he was already out all on his own. I just so happened to run into him at the craft store. So please don’t act like I’m the only reason he can find to leave.”

Sans shook his head slowly. “so that makes it alright then?”

“No, but I can’t change how other humans treat him when we’re out in public. I can only control myself and step in when someone’s being rude to him.”

“okay. so what are ya gonna do when someone meaner than tobias comes along and wants to do more than buy ya a drink? what happens when a firm handshake ain’t enough to scare ‘em off?” Sans wasn’t really looking for an answer from you. “i’ll tell ya what. you won’t be able to do jack shit and then he’s as good as gone all ‘cuz he just had to come see ya.”

All of your guilt and fears from the last several nights woke up at that, whispering  _ what ifs _ in your ears. Painting horrible, gruesome images behind your eyelids. Slithering around your windpipe and constricting it.

“I know, okay? I  _ know _ .” Your voice cracked. “I wasn’t trying to purposely put Papyrus in danger, alright? I want him to be safe too. It had been so long since the last attack...I wasn’t thinking. I swear to you, as soon as I found out that he was doing it behind your back, I told him he had to talk to you about it. I...I should’ve known better. I’m so,  _ so  _ sorry.”

It was taking everything you had not to start bawling right there.

He and you looked at one another. It was hard trying to watch the road and him through your watering eyes, and he was still wearing that same dubious expression. After a moment it slowly shifted into something else. Bones sagging, eye lights slowly slipping from your face, and his smile was nothing more than a strip of exposed teeth. It was something that looked a lot like giving up.

“hey...hey, just...pull over for a sec.”

Sans reached out like he was going to grab the wheel, but he only tapped his phalanges against the pleather material and you weren’t going to fight him on it. You carefully pulled off onto the shoulder and parked the van just at the bottom of the steep decline in the road you had just come down. The hill at your back blocked out any sign of the town behind you and ahead of you, the lights from the reservation were brighter, more solid against the dark shadows of the mountain, but still not close enough to make out what was what. It was so quiet after you turned off the car, save for the ticking coming from the hot engine as it cooled down after the long drive and the muffled chatter from unseen nightlife out among the trees.

Sans started rummaging in the Burrito Bell bags and pulled out the napkins that had been stuffed in with the food. He picked through them, finding the least greasy ones, and handed them over to you. You accepted them with a sniffle, blowing your nose. The rough paper felt like sandpaper against your skin, but it did the job and you appreciated the gesture. He waited until you were done and held up the bag for you to dispose of them before putting it back on the floorboard.

He didn’t look at you once the whole time.

“i shouldn’t’ve...” Sans started, sounding somewhat reluctant as he stared down at his feet. “i can’t put that on you. i know paps is bein’ stubborn about it. he knows all the risks. just doesn’t care. the more i try to talk him out of it, the more he’s set on doin’ it. i think the only reason he came clean about it so soon is ‘cuz you told him he should.”

“I tried talking to him too. I suggested that we only hang out on the reservation or figure out somewhere that wasn’t so out in the open, but he doesn’t want that. He told me that he’s been trapped there long enough.”

Sans sighed at that. “yeah.”

“Hasn’t he though?” you asked. “Haven’t all of you?”

“so what? that doesn’t change how dangerous it is for him to be out there by himself.”

“What are you going to do then?”

He shrugged. “dunno. not much i can do really.” Then he seemed to shrink further into himself. “there’s no good way to keep him safe up here. i think i’m mostly pissed about that and i took it out on you. ‘m sorry...really.” 

There was no doubt that he meant what he said. His every word was heavy with his regret and guilt. You could see that he was just worried and afraid of what could happen to his little brother. That wasn’t something you could ever hold against him.

“Thanks, but...I really do get why you feel that way. And what I’m getting at is if he’s going to put himself around humans anyways, wouldn’t you rather it be with me so I can at least  _ try  _ to do something when shit hits the fan?”

“don’t want him to do it at all.”

“Okay, be realistic.”

Sans finally let his eye lights float back up to your face.

“...you’d really try to protect him?” he asked softly.

“Did you see me running away from Tobias?” you asked right back.

He hastily let his gaze drop again. “guess not.”

You shook your head, frustration peaking again. “I just don’t get why you grabbed me too if you really can’t stand me that much—”

“never said that.”

“Well, I’m human, aren’t I?” you all but snapped, the anger in the words dulled by how watery your voice was. “That’s why you haven’t really spoken to me the last few days, right?”

“...yeah,” he admitted.

“So it doesn’t matter what I say and do or don’t say and don’t do...it all just comes back to me being a human and you being a monster. Why is that all that matters?”

“you gotta see where i’m comin’ from,” he said. “i’ve been tryin’ to make sense of you for weeks now and nothin’ adds up with you.”

“Why? Because you’re a monster and that doesn’t stop me from liking you?”

His eye sockets blinked a few times, apparently not expecting such a blunt exclamation, and his hands busied themselves with tugging on the legs of his pants. He didn’t seem to have anything to say to that, so you decided to continue. He obviously really needed to hear it.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I admire you, you know? And I really do enjoy spending time together, working or goofing off or whatever. I probably shouldn’t think you’re funny at all, but you are and you’re so easy to talk to. I always have fun when you’re around...and I just wish you felt the same way about me.”

Maybe that was too much, but it was how you felt. And now he knew. Your true intentions, all laid out for him to do with as he pleased.

Sans lifted both hands in front of him, almost in a placating gesture, before shaking his head and letting them drop. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. He looked totally trapped. As if any move he made would be the wrong one.

Finally, he sighed and ran a hand down his face, hard enough to make a grinding noise that made you shudder. “i just need to think, okay? this whole day has just been…” He made a strangled noise in the back of his mouth that seemed to sum up what he was feeling accurately enough.

That was something you could agree on at least.

“Okay.”

Without another word, you turned the keys in the ignition. If he needed time to think, he’d probably rather do that on his own. He didn’t object as you pulled back onto the road and started driving again, heading for the reservation once more.

Then a loud, warbling wail started outside.

“What the hell is that?” you asked, looking around. 

There was nothing ahead of you but the dark, empty strip of road that connected the reservation to the town. Sans’ skull immediately whipped over his shoulder, staring out the back. Checking your side view mirrors only showed the hill you had been parked at the bottom of just a moment before. It prevented you from seeing anything down the way you had come.

Sans made a low, almost throaty sound that didn’t translate into words over the clamor. Before you could ask him to repeat himself, light suddenly burst through the night behind you, making it hard to see as it reflected harshly off the windshield. You squinted into your mirrors again, trying to see who was tailgating you, but they were so close that all you could see was a flood of yellow.

Someone was riding your ass _hard_.

“What the hell is their problem?” you yelled.

Sans said something, but he mumbled it too quietly again.

“What? I can’t hear you!”

“drive. floor it. now!” He wasn’t quite yelling, but it was the loudest you’d ever heard him speak and you knew he was serious. “we need to get onto the reservation. right now.”

You slammed the gas pedal all the way down. The old van revved up sluggishly but sped up as quick as it could. You tried your rear view mirror again, but it was just too bright. It was like they had floodlights on their car or something.

“Who is it?!”

“who do ya think?”

The two guys from the parking lot flashed in your mind and you remembered the way they’d been staring the two of you down. It had to be them. The shiver from earlier returned, growing into a cold sweat, and your hands started shaking on the wheel even before Sans spoke again.

“shit, i think there’s three of ‘em back there!”

“Three guys?” 

Questions flashed in your mind faster than you could say them aloud, faster than you were flying down the road. How could he see past their lights? Where’d the third guy come from? You thought they hadn’t followed you? Had their souped-up truck really been able to catch up to you so quickly? Just what the fuck were they trying to do?

“three trucks!”

_ Guns, ammunition, and explosives. _

Your foot bounced on the pedal, willing the van to go. More. Faster. Go! The speedometer was caught up. Just hovering between _95_ and _100_.

“Come on, come on…!”

The lights seemed brighter. 

Closer.

You could hear the rumble of another, stronger engine over the van’s. 

Three trucks.

Too loud. Too close. Too bright.

But the van was topped out.

You tried to gauge the distance between the van and the guardhouse. It was coming up soon, but not soon enough. Sans turned back around, hastily scanning ahead.

“fuck, we’re not gonna make it! they’re too close!”

He went to roll the window down, but it didn’t budge.

“shit! ya gotta unlock it!”

You didn’t question it. Your fingers went scrambling along the armrest, trying to find the right button. The door locks clicked a few times. Then finally— 

Air rushed in and snapped through your hair, clothes, and stinging your eyes. Everything blurred away to tears. You were blind until you could blink them away. Miraculously, when you could see again you were somehow still rocketing ahead instead of wrapped around a tree.

Sans had twisted as much he could in his seat and was leaning out the open window, arm raised. It probably wasn’t the best time to ask questions. And yet.

“What the hell are you doing?!” 

He didn’t answer, just stared behind you for a moment. Then he flung his arm out, the motion like a pitcher flinging a fastball. There was a flash of blue behind you, the squeal of tires, and metal crunching against metal. Some of the light behind you wavered and jerked away, allowing you to finally make out the silhouettes still left behind you.

Two trucks.

Still too damn close.

Sans was wheezing, you could hear him, but you couldn’t look. The guardhouse was almost right in front of you.  It was still closed up and the wailing noise you could recognize now as an alarm was even louder. There was no way they were opening up to let you in.

“Sans, what do I do?”

“don’t stop.”

“But—” 

“don’t stop!”

So you didn’t. 

The wooden arm snapped against your bumper, splintering apart as you came crashing through the gate. A few large pieces smacked the windshield, the glass cracking in places but not shattering all of the way. You could just barely see through the damage.

It had slowed you down.

And the square was dead ahead.

Full of all those brand new businesses.

So you whipped around the corner, tires screeching. Following the way you’d always go to the club. Away from everyone and everything else.

“yes! okay, keep go—fuck!” 

Everything lurched forward as you were rammed from the back. Even all the breath in your lungs. The wheel almost wobbled out of your grip, sending you into a half-spin. You just barely managed to get a hold of it and straightened out. 

Slowed down. 

Slowed down even more. You needed to go. Get away. Fast— 

But you were hit again. The wheel jerked out of your hands and it all went tumbling.

The van. The road. Everything.

It was all flashes of light-dark, light-dark to your eyes, but you could hear it. Glass and metal and gravel, breaking and fragmenting apart around you. There was no stopping it. All you could do was throw your arm out, finding a fistful of fabric and unyielding bone, and scream.

Just scream and take it.

Until it finally stopped.

Before you could process what had happened, breathe, anything, a wall of blue light shot across your line of sight. Blue was all you could see. More sounds of destruction, a ground-shaking clash, and then…

Quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Prejudice against monsters; prejudice against humans; mention of death, depictions of violence, car chase, car crash
> 
> You guys get this a little earlier today because I'm going out town tonight. Don't be too mad at me. :)
> 
> Also, I don't know how many of you guys pay attention to the soundtrack up at the top, but it is the one I use to write and let me tell you that Lacrimosa by Apashe is good for giving you anxiety if you need to write a tense scene.
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	15. now we know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Out of the frying pan and into the flames, Sans can't turn a blind eye when you show your true colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Blue.

Everything was awash in blue.

No…

Sans slammed his sockets shut.

No, no, no,  _ NO _ . It couldn’t be. How was he back there? What went wrong? They said it would never happen again. They promised.

He should’ve known better. Never should’ve trusted them. Never should’ve cared at all. Who was he kidding? Trying to build a future? A life? A family...

Zuri. Oh, Zuzu. She wasn’t even...she didn’t even exist yet.

Why hadn’t he forgotten her? Or anything else? He had never remembered before, so why now?

Forgetting would be better. Or would it? He didn’t know. It was too much—

The smell of something burning hit him. Smoke and rubber and something else sharper. Metallic, maybe. 

That wasn't right. 

Waterfall had always smelled the same way as long as he could remember, so long as he wasn’t close to the dump. Damp, like always wet earth and he couldn’t hear the constant, static babble of Echo Flowers.

But Sans did hear something. A low, fast-pulsing drone. That was new. 

He opened and closed his sockets. Then did it again a few more times. Trying to process just what the hell was going on. Nothing looked right, it was all...

Upside down.

“son of a bitch.”

He was hanging upside fucking down.

The only thing keeping Sans in the seat was the seatbelt caught in the space between his ilium and ribcage. He could see through the front of the van where what was left of the windshield clung to the edges in spiderwebbed fragments, and everything was flooded with blue light. Not the luminescent glow of the Waterfall flora and fungi, as he’d first thought it was, but something bigger and so much brighter. No trucks he could see though, so whatever the hell was happening out there could wait.

He tried to move his hands, but they weren’t cooperating. One was planted flat against the roof. Maybe it was actually holding him up too, he wasn’t sure. Every time he tried to lift it, it just stayed put like it was locked in place. Stupid gravity.

His other hand was gripping an arm to his front in a vice grip, hanging onto it like a lifeline. It could only belong to one person and it was your hand tangled into the ripped fabric of his shirt. Some of the buttons were missing too, so it had actually found its way partially inside. His eye lights followed the line of your arm to where you were dangling from your own seat.

Just dangling and not moving at all.

The driver’s side door was entirely caved in, the metal warped and buckling in on itself. Most of the glass from the window was missing too. Actually, a lot of it was piled onto the roof below you and...oh fuck. That didn’t look good. 

Were you even breathing?

Shit, he couldn’t tell.

“hey...hey, you good?”

You didn’t even twitch.

Fuck, why weren’t his hands working?

“hey...hey!”

The fingers in his shirt started to clench, hooking into his ribs. He wasn’t too proud of the yelp he made, but it was enough to make the hand jerk back. Then you were flailing and gasping, fighting against the seatbelt holding you in place.

Awake and alive.

Stars above, you were alive.

His entire body relaxed. His arm gave and he sank a little closer to the roof, the seatbelt digging deeper into the cavities between his bones. All he could do was grunt. Goddamnit gravity.

“Sssans...ah...ahhh…” You seemed to be having trouble making your mouth cooperate, moving your lips without sound a few times like you couldn’t remember how to form words properly. “...are...you okay?” 

There wasn’t anything okay about the whole situation, from top to bottom, but he wasn’t really hurt. As far he could tell anyway. So he’d say that.

“i’m fine.”

The look you gave him for that was too much. So much relief, so much open and honest happiness shining in your eyes just because he said he was okay. But your face was red, almost purple. It took him way too long to remember that wasn’t a good thing. Blood and stuff.

He had no clue how he could forget about it. There was a long, deep-looking gash across your temple, bleeding freely down into your hairline, matting there and dripping like a leaky faucet. More scratches and bruises covered the side of your face that had been facing the door. But that wasn’t even the most concerning thing.

No doubt about it, you had gotten the worst of it.

“can ya move?”

He tilted his head up—or down, damn upside down bullshit—to get a better look. It was pretty bad. You looked too and as if you had only realized it, you let out a small, breathy gasp. The shoulder that had been closest to the door was sagging further down than the other, the arm hanging limply and it lay flopped onto the roof in an unusual, twisted angle. He knew human bones were different than his and he knew it definitely wasn’t supposed to do that.

“Oh my god...oh my god...okay! Oh my god. What do I do?”

“you can’t move it?”

Your fingers flexed and your wrist rotated, but that was pretty much it. And the more you tried to make it move, the more your face started to scrunch up into a grimace. Your other hand hovered over it but didn’t touch it. He could see that it was shaking. Or...your whole body was.

“Sans...I think...oh my god...I think it’s broken.”

That seemed kind of obvious, but hearing it still made every inch of his body crawl. You suddenly started making quick, sharp breaths as if there wasn’t enough air. Tears came in streams up your forehead and mixed into the red. You weren’t even remotely okay.

He had to get you out of there.

“just breathe, okay? no need to freak out. just breathe.”

He unclicked the seatbelt and flopped against the roof, face and elbow joints first. Probably not his most graceful moment. Glass and other debris scraped against his phalanges, but there was no way to avoid it as he pushed himself onto his knees. Going right side up after being the other way for any length of time was a little disorienting and he needed a moment to get his bearings, but he finally looked up at you. Still latched into your seat.

“okay, we’re gonna…”

Going to what?

He weighed his options. Took another long look at your tear-stained face and then your messed up arm. If you tried to do what he just did it would probably hurt like a bitch and he really didn’t want to do that to you if he could avoid it. He only had one choice it seemed.

“okay, ‘m gonna do somethin’. it’s prolly not gonna feel nice but it’s better than the alternative. can ya deal with that?”

“O-o-okay.”

He reached for your good hand, threading his phalanges through your fingers. You felt cold. Clammy. Shaking like a leaf.

“hold on as tight as you can and don’t let go.”

All the reply he got was your grip tightening in his own, but he didn’t need you to speak. He could see it in your face. The implicit trust in him. You had no doubt that he was going to help. What had he ever done to deserve that from you?

Then he and you were moving. Through the darkness and nothingness of somewhere in between, neither here nor there. He could feel the push and pull from all sides, stretching and compressing as spacetime warped around them. Then as suddenly as it had started, it stopped and you weren’t in the van anymore. He’d only moved you to just outside it so you were sitting up on the road, not wanting to move you too far too fast.

You instantly hunched over and cried out. The pained sound turned into a choked gurgle before breaking up into soft, swallowed sobs that wracked your body. But you didn’t let go of his hand.

“hey, hey, it’s okay. we’re stopped. just take a second to breathe,” he said softly. “‘m gonna take ya to get fixed up, but ya gotta breathe.”

You started to nod, but that actually seemed to hurt too and you quickly stopped. He expected questions about how he’d gotten you out of the van since you were always curious about magic, but they didn’t come. Now that all your blood wasn’t in your face, you were looking very pale. Your arm still jutted out from your side in a way that was all wrong, definitely sitting lower than it was supposed to be. Man, he wasn’t a healer, but he knew you needed it bad and he was going to make sure you got it.

In just a minute. Or two.

He had told you to take a breather, but really he was the one that needed it. Flipping just that one truck had kicked his ass. The combination of the distance, weight, and force was a lot more than he usually dealt with and he hadn’t eaten right all day, so he was paying for it. Plus, he did all he could to slow the van’s tumble, but he had been too caught off guard in the moment and hadn’t done a very good job of that. Mostly he just wasted magic trying.

Now he wasn't confident that he had enough left in him to get the both of you anywhere.

Just as he was about to try, he could hear scraping. Metal creaking and grating against the road. Honestly, he’d been too focused on you to really give a shit about the wreckage in front of him, but he looked up sharply at the sound.

They hadn’t made it very far from the guardhouse before they crashed, just far enough away to avoid any of the buildings but still close enough to see the destroyed gate. There was fire and smoke now, springing up from where the smashed front end of one of the trucks was crushed against the wall of light that lined the entire perimeter of the reservation. It let out a loud, low-pitched frequency that he could feel through the air. That must have been the pulsing buzz he had heard before. Figures moved through the haze, but it was hard to make out what exactly was happening through the distortion of the field. Either way, whoever had been in that truck hadn’t made it through.

“guess the new barrier works,” he mumbled, more to himself.

“Barrier?” 

“yeah, what did you think the light was?”

He knew what he had thought it was. Thank god it wasn't.

You just blinked at the scene in front of you, eyes flickering between the wall of blue and the van. Not seeming to make sense of any of it. You were usually pretty sharp, so he was surprised you hadn't connected the dots on your own.

“first time we’re using it,” he said, glad for an excuse to sit for a few moments longer. “haven’t even had the chance to test it yet so we had no clue if it would hold up or not. it stopped that one though.”

You tried to crane your neck to see better but ended up just hissing in pain. That was his cue that he was wasting too much time. There was no getting around moving you again. Maybe if he put his arm around you, it wouldn’t hurt you so badly? 

He was just about to ask you if he could try that when there was more shuffling from somewhere nearby. Much, much closer than the barrier. The other truck had actually managed to make it through, but it looked a bad way. Flipped on its side, windows busted out, and the frame was completely mangled. 

But something was crawling out of it.

Damn determined humans.

They looked as banged up as the truck, blood pouring from their nose and mouth. They managed to stumble to their feet, hobbling and leaning hard to one side. It took them a few seconds of wildly whipping their head back and forth to notice the two of you across the road, but they definitely saw you. They took a step closer, bloodied teeth bared and blue light glinting off of them. 

“Fucking demon!” they howled, their rage crashing through the night like a derailed train. “You killed them! You fucking killed them!”

They obviously weren’t done with you yet.

“You're dead! Dead, do you hear me?! You piece of shit monster!” They jabbed a finger at you and you flinched at his side. “And you! You're betraying your own fucking kind! You wanna pick them? Then you can die too!”

The human took an unsteady step forward, then another. That was all it took for you to drop his hand and start scrambling backward across the glass-littered road, your shoes and dress slipping and catching noisily as you tried to get your feet. 

Just what he’d always figured you’d do. Run away. Something he should have been doing too. So why wasn’t he?

He couldn’t freaking move.

Human kids were terrifying enough but  _ that _ ? That big, hulking mass of malice and hatred that was coming closer and closer in short strides that closed the distance in slow motion. Fingers curled like claws as they reached for him. 

And he was just sitting there like a petrified rock.

He argued silently with his useless limbs.

Move. Get up. Run. Fight back.

But they stayed limp at his sides.

“I'll fucking rip you apart!”

The human was coming to finish the job.

And Sans was just going to take it because he was scared shitless.

But an arm suddenly hooked through his and roughly dragged him up. Body practically convulsing with harsh, panicked breaths and sweat making skin slide against bone, but it held on tight. Pulling him back as fast as it could.

You hadn’t abandoned him after all.

It wasn't a very good escape plan. Neither of you were getting anywhere fast. Sans hadn’t managed to convince his body that leaving was the smart thing to do yet and he barely managed to stumble over his own feet as he followed. If it weren’t for the human’s obvious limp as they gave chase, they likely would have caught you already.

You probably could have gotten away faster on your own. 

Why weren’t you doing that?

It was only after you managed to lead him off the road and into the grass that you let out a small whimper. The arm wrapped through his stretched out across your torso as if to hold onto your bad arm. To stop it from being jostled as you moved. But it was too far to reach without letting go of him and you just gave up, going back to tugging him along even with tears welling back up in your eyes.

Fuck. That.

Good thing his body agreed. Throwing up his hand and whipping it back down was all it took to get the human to drop. Their soul was pulled out instantly, but he couldn’t see its true nature past his own magic acting on it. He held it that way, let the gravity increase until the human was laid flat out on the road and eating asphalt. He wondered how much downward force the bastard’s skull could take.

He knew it wasn’t much.

But there was more than one human in the encounter.

Vibrant and bright, bright enough to give the barrier a run for its money, another soul had been drawn out and was hovering just inches from your chest. He was so startled to see it just over his shoulder that his hand froze at his side and his attack fizzled out. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting before, if he had even thought it might be something different, but now that it was right in front of him he couldn’t imagine anything else.

It was  _ you _ .

“Sans...Sans, what’s happening?” you asked. “Is this...my…?”

Before you could finish the thought, the human bellowed, “Fuck you and your hocus pocus! I’ll make you pay for that, freak!”

They were back on their feet and charging.

So much faster than before. 

They were inches away in seconds.

Hands grabbing and swinging.

Sans barely yanked you back in time and your soul bobbed along behind you, right out of the human’s reach. From the way you yelped, he must have grabbed you harder than he meant to, but he didn’t really have a choice.

Sans flung his other hand back up and the arches of their soul flipped again. The human instantly fell sideways through the air. Their back slammed hard against the trashed van and they screamed out something incomprehensible as he pinned them there.

He couldn’t maintain it. A burning ache in his core was growing more and more persistent, making his legs feel like jelly and the edges of his vision started to dim in and out. Great, he really was running on empty. Whatever, he didn’t want to waste any more time or magic on the piece of shit anyway.

He flipped them again, a couple times to get them all dizzy and laid out on the road. With a twist of his wrist, a giant bone materialized out of thin air. He let it drop onto them with a satisfying thud and a screech of pain. He figured that should hold them until the guards came, but he wasn’t ready to grant the human mercy quite yet.

Back to you. 

He had been wishing he could see you for weeks and there you were. Every question he ever had about you, all that time spent trying to figure out what you really thought and felt and wanted. All the answers were right there in front of him. If he asked you at that very moment, with everything out in the open, you wouldn’t have been able to lie so easily.

“Sans?” you asked again and that time he heard how small and scared and confused your voice sounded. 

He looked up, away from everything that you were, to your face.

It almost made him flinch.

Somehow, in a way he never anticipated, it was like he could still see  _ you _ there. 

And you were getting paler by the second. Your grip kept going slack every few seconds before tightening again on his arm. All the movement had clearly gotten to you and you were fading fast. He didn’t need to look at your soul to understand any of that and it was time to end the encounter.

But his decision to spare the human wasn’t enough.

“ya gotta grant the human mercy,” he said.

“What? Mercy?” you asked, clearly lost.

“do ya wanna hurt them? kill them?”

You startled at that. “No!”

The light of your soul didn’t waver. It seemed you were being truthful.

“then look at the human and decide to spare them,” he instructed, just like he would when he was teaching the kids about magic attacks and sparring.

“I…” You looked between him and the still struggling, trapped human. “...spare you?”

Your soul sank back into your chest.

“What...how?” you whispered, looking down to the place it had been before in dismay. “Where did it go?”

“i’ll explain later, but right now we’ve gotta get you taken care of,” he told you. “hold on.”

Despite that, he didn’t keep his arm looped through yours. He instead slipped it around your middle to carefully pull you closer. He could keep a better hold of you that way and from the way you sagged against his side, you really needed it. It was a strain, his soul burning white hot from the inside out as he drained whatever he had left, but the ground underneath changed from blacktop to soft, plush cream-colored carpet.

You instantly dropped to your knees and emptied your stomach right there on the floor.

“Oh my word!” the familiar, startled voice cried.

Tori was standing there in her nightgown, paws pressed to her mouth.

Totally depleted. Covered in sweat. Barely able to keep his sockets open. Sans hadn’t even realized that he’d fallen with you and he looked up with a shaky smile.

“hey, t. think ya could get us somethin’ to eat?”

You were still retching, crying harder as it caused you to shake your arm more. His hands clumsily patted against your back and shoulders. He didn’t think that really helped though.

Tori instantly swept forward, easing one of her paws over your back and smoothing wide strokes up and down. Eventually, you stopped and she helped you sit back until you were lying down on the floor.

“I-I’m so-sorr—” You lost the rest of it to a hiccup.

“Shhh, do not worry about that,” Tori said gently, looking down at you with clear concern in her eyes before turning to him. “I am not sure that she will be able to keep food down long enough for it to heal her properly.”

“so what then?” Sans asked. “we gotta call up someone and get them over here, right?”

Leaving you to deal with it on your own wasn’t an option and he sure as hell wasn’t going to hand you over to a regular hospital. He’d read up on them and knew how limited human medicine was. In his opinion, it was a miracle that any of you were even still kicking.

Tori shook her head. “I believe I will be able to heal some of her injuries. At least enough to get her pain under control so she can eat something.”

Sans almost slumped over in relief. Of course, Tori would know what to do. Now that the immediate issue had been addressed, he needed to know something else.

“okay. have ya talked to paps?” he asked her. “are the kids safe?”

“Yes, they were here when the alarms began. They are in the safe room downstairs. Asgore and Undyne are with the other guards securing the situation. Alphys is in the lab, making sure that there were no other breaches.”

Everyone was good. He could have seriously dropped right there. But not yet. You still weren’t okay. Tori moved to sweep you up into her arms, but you cried out loudly in agony again, making her take pause.

Sans started to reach for you. “where do you want her?” 

Tori gave him a sharp look. “You are in no state to use shortcuts.”

“yeah, but i don’t think she can handle the walk right now.”

“I can walk,” you tried softly.

“let’s just take it easy, okay?” he suggested.

You didn't really seem to have the will to argue about it. You had already pushed yourself harder than you should have and you were long past managing the pain. Tori looked like she was debating with herself for a moment before she gave a reluctant nod.

“Very well. Move her into the bedroom. I will meet you there momentarily.”

Under normal circumstances that would have been the absolute last place that he wanted to be, but he didn’t really have a choice. So he held onto your uninjured shoulder and blipped you over there, right on top of Tori’s neatly made bed. He kept his gaze focused on you, refusing to look around him.

You started gagging again but managed to hold back that time. Good thing too. He didn’t think you could have had anything else left in there.

He tried rubbing your good arm in the same soothing way Tori had but he had no clue if it was working. Shit, you felt cold to the touch. Is that why you were shivering so hard? Should he get a blanket? What was Tori even doing?

“Sans.”

He looked at your face. So, so pale, most of the color that normally filled your cheeks was long gone. The bleeding from the gash and cuts seemed to have slowed down a little, but they were still bright red with fresh blood. Splotches of dark bruises had already formed around it, down your cheek, along your neck, and on the skin over the collarbone that stuck out of the neck of your dress.

It was hard to see you like that, to see how much you’d been hurt, but he held your gaze. “...yeah?”

“I’m so sorry,” you whispered, your voice brittle and broken sounding.

His hand stilled on your arm. “what in the heck are you sorry for?”

You looked away, guilt darkening your eyes. “For all of this. I never should have suggested going to get food. I should have just come right back after the meeting. Or let you drive. Then they never would have seen us or followed us.”

Even with your soul nowhere in sight, it was hard to doubt if you were being genuine. He didn’t have to focus hard on reading your soul to feel the tangible waves of remorse coming off of you and you must have been feeling it pretty strongly for it to make it past your skin. A rush of...something spiked through him and he found himself leaning forward, trying to catch your eyes again. You turned back to him reluctantly, biting your lip hard between your teeth.

“nope. not letting you do that,” he told you. “ya think those guys are gonna be sorry?”

You just stared at him, the answer obvious.

“exactly. if you think you have anything to be sorry for right now, you’re wrong. so just stop.”

You looked down again, your lips trembling despite how much you seemed to be trying to stop it. And he’d actually considered trying to get answers out of you during the encounter. What in the hell was wrong with him? He felt like a bag of dirt.

“You don’t have to believe me. I probably wouldn’t believe me after all of this…” A small string of breathy inhales interrupted you, but you pushed through them. “But I would never do anything like this to you guys. To anybody. But especially not to you.”

He remembered the way you had automatically thrown your arm across his chest, keeping him pressed back against the seat as the van flipped. The airbags hadn’t deployed and he’d loosened the seat belt by twisting around trying to knock those bastards off the road. So if it weren’t for that, he might have cracked his skull on the dash or something else equally as unpleasant from getting thrown around.

Then there was the way you handled the human. He had always expected you to run in that kind of situation and he really wouldn’t have held that against you. He could now admit that it was wrong of him to ever expect more than that of you. Of anyone. Because all he could do was freeze when he had come face to face with it.

But you hadn’t left him like he had at first thought. You had grabbed him and tried to take him with you. Even though he was pretty much dead weight and you were hurt, you kept dragging him along.

You just did it like it was the most natural and obvious thing to do in those moments. Just like when you had jumped between him and Tobias. Both times. 

Could someone like that ever be capable of doing what those other humans had?

“don’t worry ‘bout any of that,” he tried to reassure you in the calmest voice he could manage. “we’ll talk later, okay?”

“You promise?” you asked in a wavering voice.

It was quiet for a moment before he sighed. He could commit to a conversation. You deserved that much, right?

“yeah, promise. we got lots to talk about.”

That seemed to be all you could take and the thin hold you had on your emotions slipped, tears spilling down your cheeks. Throwing your good arm over your face, you tried to muffle the sobs. He hesitated just a moment before curling his phalanges around your fingers. From the way you pressed his hand harder into the soft skin of your palm, he thought maybe you found it to be as grounding as he did.

“This is such...such  _ bullshit _ ...”

“tori’ll be here in just a sec and we’re gonna get you all healed up.”

“It’s not about that. I’m fine.”

“no, you’re really not...but yeah, i know.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

That was the second time you were asking him that. For no good reason, he felt less sure of his previous answer. Why did he feel like telling you that?

Your fingers twitched in his when he didn’t answer and he gave them another little squeeze.

“yeah...i’m fine.”

Your breath shuddered, holding on even tighter, and he knew that you knew he was a liar.

You still had your face covered when Tori bustled back into the room, the sleeves of her nightgown pushed up and she came directly to the bed. Sans didn’t miss the way her eyes drifted down to your hand in his, going wide in surprise, and he couldn’t help the impulse that told him to drop it. But he just adjusted his phalanges, letting your hand slip further into own. Tori looked away but shoved a plate and a fork under his face.

“Eat,” she instructed firmly.

The smell hit him before his sockets could absorb it. Warm, salty, and buttered crust. Snail pie and a huge portion of it at that. He immediately sat the plate onto the nightstand and shoveled a forkful into his mouth, feeling it tingle and disperse throughout his body. Replenishing what he had neglected and lost through the day. God, it had never tasted so good before. He scarfed down several more bites as fast as he could, too tired to care how it looked. It was weird eating with his right hand, but his left was still occupied holding onto yours.

“Okay, my dear, I apologize in advance. I am capable of healing some of your injuries, but not all of them since my particular type of magic is not normally used in this way. I will use my fire magic on you to jumpstart the process and we will have to follow it up with food.

“Will it burn?”

“No, it will not.”

Sans thought you would ask more questions. You loved talking magic. But you just closed your eyes and accepted what Tori said for what it was. 

“Okay.”

That really said a lot about how you must have been feeling. 

Tori spread her hands wide over your chest and light began to radiate out from them before it slowly faded into a pale green, with tongues of white flames flickering at the edges of her claws. Offensive fire magic was her forte, but she hadn’t lived as long as she had without picking some other skills up and fire magic was just one way to make magic food. He could feel the distinct warmth and heaviness of her magic on the environment, her will being imposed on you. You were obviously in pain, your soul aching and ready to receive it.

Sans’ eating slowed to a stop as he watched, the fork hanging from the tips of his phalanges. With monsters, their bodies were less physical so they usually didn’t end up with too many injuries. Accidental scrapes and scratches sure, maybe a fracture if he was really being stupid, but so long as their souls were good then their bodies usually were too and healing them took mere seconds. But humans were a whole different story.

The split skin on your forehead and face slowly pushed itself together and pressed closed, leaving behind thin lines of dried blood. Every purple bruise started to fade one by one until they were nothing more than yellow discoloration. Then your shoulder and arm seemed to move on its own, shrugging and twisting back into place with a sickeningly loud crack.

Sans nearly dropped the fork at that.

Tori moved her hands to your neck, pushing the collar of your dress aside. The skin jutted out oddly from where it normally sat, stretched and bruised. What only could have been part of your collarbone seemed to be trying to break through. Even though he didn’t have a stomach to empty, he felt a little nauseous suddenly.

Tori held her hands over that spot, the off-green light and heat emanating more strongly from them, and the bone slowly sank back under the skin right back to where it should have been. From the several, quieter clicks, it sounded like there had been multiple breaks there. Then the bruising went next, still there but not nearly as dark. When Tori leaned back, she was breathing hard and looked pretty wiped, but otherwise seemed okay.

You were far from completely healed, but you looked so much better already. Apart from the fact that your injuries were no longer fresh, some color had returned to your face and it looked like you were breathing easier. He noticed that the tension in your fingers had relaxed some too.

“That is the most that I can do on my own,” Tori said. “You will need to eat to take care of the rest of your injuries.”

You started to try to sit up, still babying the injured arm and keeping it tucked against your chest. “Thank you so much. I—” You broke off abruptly as your face screwed back up into a small grimace at the effort. 

“whoa, not so fast, alright?” Sans instantly popped up and dropped the fork onto the plate with a clang so his other hand was free. He brought it up to hover over you nervously, ready to help. He just didn’t know how to. 

“Could you just…” You nodded to the hand that was still in yours.

Oh. Right. Duh.

He let you use him for support, pulling carefully to help you upright. Once you were settled against the headboard, you gave his phalanges a small, quick squeeze and flashed him the tiniest of smiles in thanks. It wasn’t your usual, sunshiney beam, but after everything that had happened? 

He’d take it.

Now that you were up and doing better, he didn’t really have a reason to keep holding your hand. So he awkwardly slipped his fingers from yours and quickly replaced them with the plate so you could finish off what was left of the pie. He still felt shaky, but you needed it more at the moment.

“Now.” Tori turned to him. “What exactly happened? Asgore left to find out, while I was making sure the children were safe.”

Sans really didn’t want to get into the whole thing right then. It was too exhausting to think too hard at the moment. He really just wanted to make sure you were good, check on the kids and Paps, eat, and then crash. They had all day tomorrow to fret over the same old bullshit. But the look on Tori’s face made it pretty clear that wasn’t an option.

“you know how we had that meeting in the city tonight?”

“With the brewery, correct?” she asked.

“yeah, microbrewery.” Tori looked confused at the new terminology and he just waved his hand dismissively before she could ask. “whatever. not the point. on the way back, we stopped for food and we parked in the lot to eat. these two guys were sitting in a truck, staring at us. it weirded me out so we left. didn’t think they followed, but we were almost back when they showed up with two other trucks.”

“They came after you with three trucks?” she asked, voice soft and aghast. 

“yeah. we managed to get through before the barrier went up. think they mighta recognized the van and were waiting for us to get through before they put it up. one of the humans got through, but i made sure they couldn’t go anywhere ‘til the guards came.”

“Hmm.” Tori considered what he said before turning to look at you. “You are the one that has been working with Sans on his nightclub, yes?”

“Yes...that’s me.” Your eyes were wide and owlish, listening to everything and looking surprised at being addressed.

You seemed more alert at least, so that was one less thing for him to worry about. 

“And did you know these men?”

“No, I’ve never seen them before. They were just watching us in the parking lot. It was so creepy so when Sans suggested leaving, I was all for it.”

Tori squinted at you. “Are you absolutely sure that you had never seen them before?”

“No, never.”

“So you did nothing to provoke them? Merely parked, ate, and left?”

“Yes…?” You glanced at him anxiously. “I mean, no. We didn’t provoke them, but we really did just eat and leave.”

“I see,” Tori said, sounding oddly displeased.

“what, ya think we were out there lookin’ for trouble or somethin’?” he cut in.

Tori stared at him hard for a moment before turning to give you the same look. Matron to monarch is seconds. He was used to it, but you looked more than a little intimidated. 

“No, it isn’t that. I am trying to figure out why this happened,” she finally relented. “With no real reason, it seems this may have been a planned attack. Although I do not know how they would have known you would be in the city tonight. It could have simply been a coincidence, but…”

She knew he wasn’t a big believer of coincidences. 

“If it truly was premeditated, then it is a good thing that it was not done very well,” she continued. “Either way, I need to call Asgore or Undyne and tell them what I have learned from you. Hopefully, they will have some more information to share. I will be back.”

“Thank you again,” you chimed up before Tori could get out the door. “And I’m sorry. About your carpet.” The guilt was back, your eyes lowering to your lap. “I’ll clean it as soon as I can.”

That surprisingly got a small, almost affectionate chuckle out of her. “The carpet is the very least of my concerns right now. Please do not worry yourself and make sure to eat.”

With that, Tori left them alone and he didn’t know what to say. If things between you and him had been in a weird spot before, it wasn’t anything compared to how it was now. So he popped a squat on the edge of the bed because he was too tired to stand anymore and went for the most important thing first.

“how ya feeling?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Aftermath of a car crash, prejudice against monsters, death threats, blood, broken bones, not super gory but injuries are described, lots of strong language
> 
> I'm so sorry for the late chapter! I actually moved last week and just didn't have the time to edit it. So I hope this fairly long Sans POV chapter made up for it. Also, I know some of you might not like that I didn't get into the reader's soul too much this chapter. No worries, because that topic will be coming back around very soon.
> 
> Thank you all so much! You all make my day so much brighter!
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	16. Pillow Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You really figured the next time you got a guy in bed with you, things would go somewhat differently.
> 
> Never mind that the guy is Sans and you have no clue what's going on anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

“helloooo?”

A skeletal hand waving in front of your face startled you.

“uh, you still in there?”

It was a struggle for you to see past the phalanges and focus on the face behind them. Sans had plopped himself down beside you, the mattress dipping and shifting you ever so slightly closer to him. When did that happen? He looked absolutely beat, like he just wanted to sink down into the covers and stay there. But he didn’t. He kept his head up even as the rest of him sagged like a deflated balloon and locked the fuzzy little lights in his drooping sockets on you.

Just looking at you.

It went on long enough for a crease to form between his eye sockets. The one you kind of thought was cute even though you knew well enough by now it meant that he wasn’t happy about something. And since he was staring at you, you figured you should probably try to figure it out.

“What did I do?” you asked.

That made his eye sockets scrunch up even more. “huh?”

“You’re making that...that crinkle face.” Words weren’t moving from your mind to your mouth as easily as they usually did. Just putting them in the right order was taking so much concentration. More than you really had to give. “What did I do?”

“i’ve been trying to get your attention for like a full minute and you totally checked out. didn’t even blink,” he said.

Oh. Okay. Yeah, that probably wasn’t great.

“Sorry, I’m a little...tired?”

You weren’t entirely sure that was what you wanted to say, but it was what came out of your mouth anyway.

“mmkay. i can get that,” Sans was looking at you even more intently now and you had no clue why.  “so i was asking how you’re feeling?”

Good question.

You just wished that you knew the answer. There were a lot of thoughts. A lot of feelings. A lot of moments. All of it was swirling around in your brain like someone kept shaking up the puzzle box before you could even begin to put two pieces together. Trying to compile any of it into sentences that made sense was something you didn’t _feel_ capable of doing at the moment.

But taking stock of what hurt was easy.

Everything hurt.

 _Everything_.

You were sore all over, but especially so on your whole left side. The shoulder and collarbone were the worst. You couldn't even breathe without them sending sharp, stabbing twangs running down your arm and up your neck. So you were holding your breath more often than you probably should have. That entire side of your face ached low and dull, keeping rhythm with the steady pounding in your head. Not to mention that your eyes and cheeks stung, swollen and raw from crying.

But it was nothing compared to what it had been before.

Now you could pair what you were experiencing with words like _sharp_ and _pounding_ and _aching_ . Before your overstimulated nerves and overworked synapses hadn’t been able to make sense of any of it, drowning you in insufferable sensation. There was no difference between skin or bone or anything else in between, just the sweeping, stretching, searing pain. It left one thing on a running loop in your head: It hurts, it hurts, _it hurts so much_.

It had just been…too much.

You never wanted to feel that way again.

So what you managed to tell him was: “Better.”

Because it was true. There was no getting around it. It was still awful and agonizing in every single way and the whole inside of your mouth tasted like bile, but you could handle it now. You knew you would be okay.

Sans wasn’t even trying to smile, obviously too exhausted to put in the effort, but the corners of his mouth actually quirked down ever so noticeably. So he could frown? “okay, level with me here. you’re actin’ weird. what’s going on?”

Well, since he asked...

“I feel weird,” you admitted.

Sans cocked his head slightly to the side. “what do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Funny? Off? I don’t know….”

What _did_ you mean? For no reason at all, your point had gotten scrambled already. Or maybe the reason was the fact that you couldn’t stop looking at the edges of Sans’ mouth, trying to decide if that teeny, tiny bit of movement was enough to be considered a frown or not. You had to force yourself to tear your eyes away and look back at his surprisingly serious face. Since when was Sans so serious all of the time?

You had been trying to say something, but _what_? Something...something…

Something about your head.

Oh, right. Your head!

“It’s all kind of weird in my head,” you tried again. “I’m having trouble trying to...make it work. Even now everything is kind of like in a tunnel?”

That was the best way that you could think of to describe it. It was almost like you were sitting in the very back of your head, watching everything from afar even though you weren’t really far away at all. You knew you could reach out to touch Sans, could see that he was right there beside you, but you felt a million miles away. You were an observer, a backseat passenger, a satellite just outside of the atmosphere. It felt like the only thing tethering you to your body was the pain, constantly and unkindly reminding you exactly where you were.

“tunnel?”

“Yeah, it’s like…”

Trying to think back to even just a few minutes ago, when the other monster had been in the room, was difficult. Fog seemed to fill your mind whenever you tried to think too hard or too long on anything. It was making the headache worse too.

“I’m stuck in my head and everything’s in bits and pieces. It’s all messed up. I still feel messed up,” you said. “And I really think I’m missing some things. Like I don’t know how we got here or how you even got me out of the van.”

His eye lights flickered up slightly and you automatically reached for what he was looking at. The movement was slow and your fingers felt unusually heavy, clumsily brushing along your forehead. You winced as they found the long, jagged cut that followed the curve of your temple. The skin around it was tender and bulged up, definitely a lump, but when you pulled your hand away there was no blood.

“Ow,” was all you could think of to say.

“yeah, maybe don’t mess with that.” He cast your forehead another quick glance. “i don’t know enough about how they work, but have ya ever had a concussion before?”

Had you? You didn’t think so, but you weren’t totally sure. Not that you could remember at the moment anyway. You started to shake your head, but that only made you feel even more floaty than before and you pressed yourself more firmly against the sturdy headboard behind you.

Sans was totally frowning at you now. What the hell. Had he been holding out on you or something?

“I didn’t know your face could do that,” you told him. “This is kind of blowing my mind right now. How is this the first time I’m seeing it? Not that I want you to frown, I like your dimples, but like...you’re _always_ smiling.”

The edges of his mouth twitched before they curved back up into a small, lopsided smile and that soft blue glow colored his cheekbones. “yeeeah, okay, pal. i’m thinkin’ that might be what’s going on.”

“Should I go to the hospital?”

“don’t see how that would help anything.”

Sans sounded very sure about that. You were hurt. Hospitals helped hurt people. So you figured that was an okay option, but apparently not.

“That um...ummm.”

Damn it, you couldn’t remember the other monster’s name. There hadn’t exactly been introductions, but you were pretty sure Sans had called her something. T...something. You had no clue what though.

Sans quirked a brow bone at you, waiting oh-so-patiently for you to spit it out. No need for specifics then. He’d know what you were talking about. Probably.

You tried again, “She used magic to heal me, right?”

Thankfully, he understood. “yeah, some monsters are a lot better at it than others. i’m shit at it all around, so that’s why i brought you to her. it’s not really her thing either. she’s better at making the food, but she can do it in a pinch,” he said. “but she couldn’t get everything. you gotta finish it up with food.”

Oh right. That’s what the other monster had said. Now you could remember her telling you that before all the magic had started and you looked down at the plate sitting on your lap. You had pretty much forgotten it was there. It seemed to be some sort of pie, smelling savory and warm.

You picked up the fork slowly, your fingers still sluggishly responding to your commands, and poked it at the crust. “This will really heal me?”

“yeah, so you really need to eat it,” he said. “that right there prolly won’t be enough to totally fix ya up, but i’ll find some other stuff in the kitchen to take care of the rest.”

You finally registered that about half of the pie was gone. Because Sans had eaten it, right? Yeah, you think that’s what happened. Why though?

“Why did she tell you to eat?” you asked. “Were you really hurt?”

Your eyes moved over his body as carefully as you could manage, looking for any hint or sign of injury. It was hard to put all of your scattered attention on him, the thudding in your head had settled behind your eyes, but you forced yourself to do it because it was important. His shirt was all torn up in the front, letting you see just a sliver of exposed ribs and the dark gaps between them. The crumpled blazer had been thoroughly snagged by the debris still clinging to the fabric and it hung unevenly from his shoulders. But as far as you could see, he didn’t even have a scratch on him.

“nah,” he said, waving your concern away. “i just didn’t eat all day and tried using too much magic at once.”

Thank god for that. You exhaled heavily, releasing a sigh that you didn’t know you’d been keeping in. Then your shoulder protested in the form of a sharp burst of pain, stopping the breath short, but the relief stayed. But now you were confused. Or maybe Sans was the confused one.

“We ate,” you reminded him. “You ate a lot.”

“not really.”

Now you were even more confused. You and Sans getting food together was definitely a thing...wasn't it? Isn’t that what he had just told the other monster had happened? Now you weren't so sure.

“Then why do I remember you ordering so many burritos? Like... _so many_ ,” you stressed. “A whole bag full.”

“yeah, that doesn’t really count.”

It was so frustrating when he gave vague answers and you were in no state to ponder them. “What does that even mean?”

Sans yawned and rubbed a hand across his eye sockets. “i’ll tell ya if you eat.”

You hesitated a little before you tentatively broke off a small piece of the pie with the fork and stuffed it in your mouth. He waited, watching as you chewed and swallowed. It tasted even better than it smelled, like butter, gravy, and tender beef. It even helped cover up the bitter taste left in your mouth from throwing up earlier. As soon as the food hit your stomach, a gentle tingling and warmth filled it before it slowly spread up to your chest. You could feel it radiating out from there and to the rest of your body, in the same way the other monster’s magic had, but it was much less intense.

It was actually already making you feel better. In a minuscule sort of way. If you weren’t in so much pain or hadn’t already experienced magical healing, you probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference. The smallest fraction of relief was more than welcome.

But you held out from taking a second bite, waiting for him to speak.

He gave a tired chuckle. “well, if you got enough in ya to ask questions and be stubborn, then that’s a good sign.”

“Explain,” you pressed.

“so remember how our bodies are mostly magic and how there are different magic types?” he asked.

You needed a few moments for that one, but it did eventually come to you. That conversation had happened weeks ago, but even with your less than optimal mental state it was kind of hard to forget the fact that Sans could manipulate gravity and how he had let you play around with a physics-defying box. He had told you a little bit about souls then too, but the point had been that no two monsters were the same. That applied to their magic too.

“I think so?”

“so we naturally produce magic, but it has its limits. since we need it to function, we have to be careful not to overdo it. the more we use it, the faster we burn through what we have so we gotta rest and eat food with magic in it to help replenish it. like how you need vitamins and whatever else,” he continued. “but when we eat your food it, it gets absorbed like anything else. makes us feel full and whatever, but we don’t need any of the stuff in it like you do. actually we just use up more magic eatin’ it. a very small amount but it’s still kinda a waste, so we really should only have it every now and then.”

Then he paused, nodding at the plate as if to say that it was time to take another bite, so you did. The warmth in your stomach and chest grew just a tiny bit more, fizzling like you had swallowed a small alka-seltzer tablet. It wasn’t unpleasant. Just unusual.

Sans was appeased for the moment and continued, “different foods are made of different types of magic, but most everything has green magic, healing magic, in it since every monster needs it. not every monster needs every other type of magic though, so what kinds of food we need varies person to person. either way, we’d never be able to live off of human food. since i was stupid and that was all i had today, i wasn’t really ready for how everything went down.”

That was a lot of information to take in all at once and you carefully considered everything that he had said. So basically all human food was just empty calories to monsters and that was all Sans had been running on earlier. That explained why he looked so drained. He _was_.

“So I have been feeding you nothing but shit food for weeks?” you asked.

He shrugged nonchalantly. “i mean, cookies and chips are already junk food for you guys, right?”

“But it’s like...extra not good for you.”

“if i didn’t like it then i wouldn’t eat it, but yeah. just like monster food is to you since it doesn’t have any of the stuff you humans need in it,” he said. “‘cept when you’re injured. like now. it won’t hurt you, so you should hurry up and finish that.”

You didn’t need any more convincing to do just that. With every bite, some of the fogginess and floatiness receded a little more. You quickly finished it off and by the time the plate was clean, you felt okay. Not good, not great, but definitely okay for now.

Sans sighed, seeming relieved that you didn’t want to ask him anything else. He took the plate from you and started to stand up. “be right back, okay? m’gonna go find something else for you and check on things.”

“Ah, um—” You cut yourself off.

He stopped a few steps from the door and turned back to you. “hmm?”

You know he wanted to check on his family, but now that your mind seemed to be cooperating somewhat there was something you needed to know. It was going to drive you crazy if you didn’t ask. “Was anyone else hurt? I...I tried to drive away from where everyone else would be, but I’m not sure I did.”

You really weren’t sure. Even with the food having helped your head some, trying to remember it all was still a lot harder than you knew it should have been. It was too much like trying to rearrange a mess of blurry video and broken sound clips. Some things came to you easily…

Like everything up to arguing with Sans was fairly clear and easy to recall. And the icy fear that had crept into your veins when he told you to get to the reservation as fast as possible. The sheer panic when that person had crawled out of the truck like something out of a nightmare. How desperate you were to get Sans to move even though it hurt so much to even try to drag him. There was something else...about magic. Sans’ magic and little, candy-colored hearts...

But mostly it was all still mush.

“don't think so. trying to go to the club was smart,” he said. “we didn’t get very far, but like ya said, nothing else is out that way so it worked out.”

“Thank goodness,” you breathed and you finally felt like you could relax. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d gotten someone else hurt.”

“you did good,” he said and if you didn’t know him better than that, you would have thought that maybe he sounded a little proud. “you gonna be okay for a few?”

There were so many things that you wanted to say. To ask. So much had happened and you didn’t know what to do with any of it. But that all could wait until later.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t go right away. His eye lights moved back and forth across your face, and you thought he was going to call your bluff. But then he nodded and left you alone.

You really wished he hadn’t.

Now that you could think a little clearer, there was a lot for your brain to chew on. You and Sans had been attacked. Chased by three trucks. Crashed your van.

Oh god. Your van. What in the hell were you going to do without transportation? Would being crashed into by racist assholes even be covered by your insurance policy?

You needed to call people. Tell them what had happened and that you were alright. But you didn’t have your phone. You didn’t even have your wallet or your bag. Had any of your stuff even survived the crash?

You hoped so. You and Sans had managed to after all.

Somehow you both had really made it through that.

You found that lifting your left arm still hurt too much, so you dropped your face into your right hand and just tried to breathe. It wasn’t so painful anymore so long as you didn’t move. You focused on inhaling deeply, holding it for a few beats, and letting it all back out. Over and over and over again until you were sure that you wouldn’t start crying again…

Maybe you needed to try it just a few more times to be sure.

It was just so much. Too much. How did the monsters deal with it every day?

“UM...H-HELLO?”

Even though there was no mistaking Papyrus for anyone else, it was a surprise to hear him speaking so softly and to see him wearing sweatpants. They were traffic cone orange, but it was still a far cry from his usually loud attire. He was lingering in the doorway and peered in at you nervously, a steaming plate in one hand and a glass in the other.

“MAY I COME IN?”

“Of course,” you sat back a little, trying to subtly wipe at your eyes, but from the way he frowned at you, he didn’t miss it. “I’m the one intruding.”

“YOU ARE NOT INTRUDING AT ALL!” he disagreed, coming into the room to give you the glass.

“What is this?” you asked, peering down at it.

It was translucent gold, almost like watered down honey, and iced. You caught a brief whiff of something floral, but it was gone before you could confirm it came from the glass.

“GOLDEN FLOWER TEA! IT HEALS BETTER WHEN IT IS FRESHLY STEEPED, BUT IT WILL STILL HELP EVEN COLD.”

You hadn't realized that you were thirsty until the first drop hit your throat and then you were guzzling it down. It instantly washed away the rest of the vomit taste, leaving behind a sweet, crisp flavor. A good rinsing and some toothpaste were still absolutely necessary, but it was a major improvement. It also made that warmth in your center grow, but as Papyrus had said, it wasn't very potent in comparison to the pie.

“I really needed that, thank you.”

“I FIGURED AS MUCH! AND I HAVE BROUGHT YOU MY EXCELLENT, HOME-COOKED SPAGHETTI, PACKED FULL OF MAXIMUM LOVE AND AFFECTION FOR MAXIMUM HEALING POWER,” he declared proudly before he wavered a little, looking unsure. “WOULD...WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOME?”

He held it out to you. Part of you expected to feel fuller since you had just eaten and drowned a whole glass of tea, but surprisingly you weren’t in the least and it did smell really good. You’d seen enough of his cooking videos to know that he knew his way around a kitchen and how could you turn down his maximum love and affection? You happily accepted it from him.

“Thank you. I guess I need to eat a decent amount of monster food to finish healing?” you asked.

It wasn't that you doubted Sans. You were just not at all used to how any of it worked. Still, it was reassuring when Papyrus nodded at your question.

“YES, THIS WILL HEAL YOU QUITE A BIT,” he said, taking Sans’ place on the edge of the bed. He did so a lot more enthusiastically, causing you to bounce a bit and you had to hold tight to the plate, but thankfully he noticed and settled quickly before he jostled you too much more. “I’M SORRY.”

You just shook your head. “Don’t be. I appreciate you coming to check on me.”

Papyrus still looked contrite, but he continued, “WELL, OF COURSE! AND AFTER YOU FINISH THAT, WE WILL FIND YOU SOMETHING ELSE. I BELIEVE WE STILL HAVE SOME MORE CASSEROLE LEFT IN THE PAN, SO YOU CAN HAVE THE REST OF THAT. I HOPE THAT WILL BE ENOUGH TO FINISH HEALING YOUR INJURIES.”

“I hope so too,” you told him. “But what about Sans? Shouldn't he eat something too?”

If he really was as depleted as he had made it sound, then he probably needed to eat more than you did. The fact that he had decided to share the pie with you was something that you didn’t know how to feel about. He was a kind person, he had proven that to be a fact over the past few months, so you knew he wouldn't have left you behind even if he didn't like you. But everything else that he did afterward?

You just didn't know what to make of it.

Papyrus pulled you back out of your thoughts. “HE HAD BETTER BE EATING BECAUSE I GAVE HIM THE BOWL OF CASSEROLE MYSELF. HE WAS ENTIRELY TOO NEGLECTFUL AND RECKLESS! HE NEEDS TO TAKE BETTER CARE OF HIMSELF!” He sounded the closest to truly angry you think you’d ever heard him. “I CAN’T BELIEVE HE DIDN’T EAT ANYTHING BUT HUMAN FOOD ALL DAY!”

You felt a little guilty. “We get human food whenever we hang out. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“THAT’S FINE BECAUSE UNLIKE MY CARELESS BROTHER, I TRAIN EVERYDAY AND EAT PROPER MEALS, SO IT NEVER AFFECTS MY WELLBEING!” he said. “SO YOU MUST EAT WELL TOO!”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” you told him, sampling some of the spaghetti and thankfully it was just as good as you suspected it would be. “This is delicious. I can really taste the love and affection.”

Oddly enough, you really almost could. It wasn’t so much a taste as it was a feeling. Along with being warm and fizzy, like the pie had been, the spaghetti made you feel good. Cherished. The way you would feel if you had been getting a hug from the one and only Great Papyrus himself.

“THAT MEANS IT’S WORKING,” he said, beaming at you. You smiled back at him until his own smile faltered a little. “I KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE FINE PHYSICALLY THANKS TO MY AMAZING COOKING, BUT WILL YOU BE FINE IN...LESS PHYSICAL WAYS?”

If you could’ve shrugged without crying out, you would have. “I mean...yeah. I have to be, right?”

“RIGHT,” he agreed very earnestly. “AND YOU WILL BE. AT LEAST EVENTUALLY. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO BE FINE RIGHT _NOW_ , SO IF YOU EVER NEED A MAGNIFICENT SHOULDER JOINT TO CRY ON...OR JUST TO TALK, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU.”

Ignoring how much it hurt, you stretched out with your good arm and pulled him to you as tight as you could. Just as you suspected, you felt cherished. How did he make the spaghetti do that?

“I know. You’re the best,” you said, smushing your face against his hard warmth. “I don't really want to get into it right now. I still haven't really thought about it much myself, but I’ll keep that in mind, okay?”

You really wanted to talk to Sans first. He had been there with you. Through every single terrifying second of it. If anyone could help you gather your thoughts and put together the stray pieces, it would be him.

“GOOD!”

Papyrus gave you a gentle squeeze like he was being careful not to hurt you. As you were pulling away from each other, you caught a glimpse of the doorway over Papyrus’ shoulder. Sans was back. He had changed back into some of his normal, not destroyed clothes and was standing there with a bowl in his hand. When he noticed that you’d seen him, he shuffled inside all while steadily piling spoonfuls of what looked to be the casserole that Papyrus had mentioned before.

“i put the rugrats to bed, but zuri’s askin’ for you, bro,” he said. “says she needs her goodnight smooches.”

“OH! I NEARLY FORGOT!” Papyrus stood abruptly from the bed, sending you bouncing again. Papyrus had his back to you and didn’t see you cringe as it rattled every sore part in your body, but from the way Sans gaze flickered back over to you, he noticed. “AND AS HER FAVORITE AND MOST BELOVED UNCLE, I WON’T LET HER DOWN.”

Papyrus took one large step towards the door, paused, and swiftly about-faced.

“I WILL JUST BE UPSTAIRS IF YOU NEED ME. JUST CALL AND I’LL BE HERE IN A JIFFY!”

Despite your renewed aches and pains, everything inside you melted at that.

“Thanks, Papyrus.”

“NYEH, OF COURSE! AND DON’T FORGET TO FINISH YOUR PLATE!” Then he gave Sans what you thought was supposed to be a stern look. “YOU TOO!”

To answer him, Sans shoveled an especially large lump of casserole into his mouth and gave him a thumbs up. Papyrus just huffed at him and left the room. He must have actually been pretty upset with Sans.

Instead of looking bothered by it, Sans just had a fond smile on his face as he came to stand beside the bed. “sorry. you know he doesn’t do anything the easy way, ‘specially caring about people. you doin’ okay?”

“Oh, no worries. He wouldn’t be The Great Papyrus if he didn’t,” you assured him, purposely leaving out the part about how not awesome that felt, and his smile widened just a smidge. “Are _you_ feeling okay?”

“gettin’ there,” he said, surprising you by sitting down beside you again. “once i finish this and get some sleep, i’ll be good to go.”

That’s exactly what you wanted to hear. But Papyrus’ frustration was still fresh in your mind. “Why didn’t you eat at all day?”

“didn’t think about it.”

What kind of answer was that? You’d had your fair share of tight months and knew what it was like to miss meals, as well as what sort of state you’d be in after not eating all day. And he went to a city full of humans like that? Maybe Papyrus was right about him needing to take better care of himself.

When you frowned at him, he looked away almost sheepishly. “trust me, you don’t gotta say it. s’not gonna happen anymore. i already got the lecture from tori and paps and i, uh...really don’t wanna end up in that kinda situation again.”

That made two of you then.

You decided to leave it be. “How’s everyone else?”

“well, you saw paps, but the kids are good. my oldest three are old enough to know what’s going on. my youngest has no clue and just thinks she gotta stay up past her bedtime,” he said, voice full of affection.

That brought a smile to your face. Kids were hilarious. It finally dawned on you then that you must have been in the residential area of the reservation. You had never been anywhere else but the club and Sans had made it pretty clear that he didn’t want humans anywhere near their homes. You couldn’t believe that he had actually you brought you there himself.

You shifted a little in place, realizing something else about your current position. “Do you want to trade places? This is you and...um...” You still hadn’t figured out what her name was. “...your wife’s bed, right? I’m so sorry.”

Sans surprised you by snorting loudly. “me and tori ain’t married. this is her and her husband’s bed, but i doubt they’re gonna be able to get any sort of sleep tonight, so you can just stay right there for now.”

Oh, you had just assumed because Sans’ kids and Papyrus were there that you were at his house, but apparently not. You did recognize her name though. Kind of. Not only had you heard it from Papyrus many times, but it was also all over the news and internet.

“Tori...like Toriel?” you asked tentatively.

“yeah, that’s her,” he confirmed. “i never call her that though.”

Oh no.

“This...this is...Oh my God, Sans! Am I eating spaghetti in the queen and king's _bed_?” Your throat tightened with every word until your voice came out as nothing more than a hiss at the end.

Sans definitely looked amused by your panic. “yup. ya sure are.”

“Dude, what the hell?”

He just shrugged like you mentioned in passing that it was raining outside. “she's the one who told me to put you here.”

“Yeah, but still!”

This was their royal bedroom or whatever! Although it looked fairly normal, aside from being supersized to fit the large goat monster and her husband. Not even a California King had anything on their mattress. In fact, the room seemed downright cozy with its soft, plain purple bedding, potted plants resting in the corners, and simple wooden furnishings. Nothing about it really screamed _majestic_ or _regal._

“If you’re sure it’s okay…”

“yup. you stay put.”

You supposed it was fine then if they both—

Wait.

“Oh, god. Kill me.”

Sans’ brow bones raised at that, but he was already starting to smirk a little. “what?”

“I just threw up in the queen of monsterkind's living room!”

He was definitely snickering at you now. “you're acting like this is the worst thing that’s happened tonight.”

“Well, no, it's not! But it's still messed up!”

“trust me, pal. i just talked to her. she is way more worried about you getting better than anything else and it's already cleaned up anyway, so don't worry about it.”

You buried your face in your good hand again. “Please don't tell me the queen cleaned up my puke,” you groaned.

“nope. that was me.”

For some reason, that was even worse and you looked up quickly, absolutely horrified. “I am _so_ sorry.”

“do i look worried about it?” he asked, motioning to his face with a lazy wave and honestly, he really didn't. He just looked tired. And like he wanted to laugh at you. “don’t think you could really help it so stop, heh, yakkin’ about it.”

You groaned again and Sans just chuckled, looking quite pleased with himself. A short silence followed. You weren’t sure if it was an awkward one or if it was only you that felt that way, but Sans held out his bowl when he noticed you weren’t eating anymore.

“what? ya wanna try some?” he asked.

For somebody that wasn’t your biggest fan, he apparently had zero issues sharing food with you.

“No, I…I’m good with the spaghetti. Thanks.”

He shrugged as if it to say that it was your loss. You fidgeted a little place, poking at your food again. Of course, he picked up on that right away too. He stuffed another massive mouthful of casserole into his mouth, set his bowl aside on the nightstand, and turned to face you more directly on the bed.

“alright, i said we’d talk. let’s talk.”

It was more than a little embarrassing to think about that now that you weren’t having a complete and total breakdown. He had held your hand so tightly between his phalanges as you bawled. Comforted you. Promised to talk with you. It had meant so much to you in that moment and maybe even more so now since he was actually keeping his word.

You took a moment, thinking over everything and trying to decide where to start.

“My head feels a lot better,” you started. “I think I remember most of what happened?”

“but?” Sans asked, hearing the question in your voice.

“I still don’t know how we got here,” you said. “It’s all just dark. One second we were by the van with that…” _Human_ , you almost said, but you were a human too. The fact that you had anything in common was enough to make your skin crawl. “...guy. The next we were here. What happened?”

It was terrifying to know that there were holes in your memory. Had you passed out? Had it been so painful that you had suppressed it? Or had you really hit your head that hard?

“i took a shortcut to get you here quicker.”

“Okay, but why don’t I remember that?”

“you do. that’s exactly how it happened.”

You went over what you could remember again. Sans had just used magic on the other human. A giant blue bone had appeared out of seemingly nowhere and dropped on them, stopping them from coming any closer. He told you that you had to spare the other human, so you did, and that... _thing_ disappeared. Then he wrapped his arm around you, pulled you against his side, everything went dark, and then you were ruining the carpet.

Was he trying to say that he did that somehow?

“...how?”

“i can do other stuff than just mess with gravity,” he said. “like get from one place to another real quick by taking a shortcut. that’s how i got you outta the van too.”

That was right. One moment you had been latched into your seat and then somehow you had been sitting outside of it. Nothing happened but a fast, blank darkness in between those things. Oh, and one other thing.

“Was that why you kept taking my hand?” you asked.

“yeah, i can take people with me if i’m holdin’ onto them.”

What. The. Fuck.

“Are you seriously trying to tell me that you can teleport?”

“kinda, but not really,” he said, giving you one of his neverending not-answers.

“How does that even work?”

He looked like he was thinking for a moment.“know anything about einstein’s theory of relativity and traversable wormholes?”

“I know Einstein was a scientist?” you offered.

“okay, heh, so no. i really only have a theory of how it works and it’s...complicated.”

There was no way in hell you were you letting him get away without an explanation now. “I’ll take a theory.”

“basically i mess with gravity to warp spacetime around me to create a wormhole and then manipulate natural quantum vacuum fluctuations that already exist in space to create enough negative mass to keep the wormhole open just long enough to get from wherever i am to wherever i wanna be.”

You stared at him, waiting for him to smirk or break out into laughter, but he just stared back.

“Are you messing with me?” you asked.

“nope.”

“Because I’m so not up for it right now.”

Everything about his expression, from his easy smile to the relaxed bone around his eye sockets, seemed open and sincere. When he spoke, his voice was understanding. Almost gentle. “i know and that’s why i’m telling you what i know.”

Holy crap. He really was serious.

“I don’t understand any of that, but that doesn’t even sound like it should be possible.”

He nodded as if he agreed with you. “like i said, it’s complicated. it’s physics and magic and a lot of unknown variables, so that’s just my best guess.”

Okay. So. Sans could kind of, not really teleport. That was good to know.

But now you had so many more questions.

“And you can go anywhere?”

“anywhere i've been before.”

“Why's that?”

“i need to know where i’m going so usually i only do it with places i’ve been before, but sometimes if i have a really good picture or the layout i can get to places i haven’t,” he explained. “that’s not always the safest though so i try to avoid that.”

“Not the safest?”

“i might accidentally try to go where something already is,” he said. “most things can’t occupy the same space, ya know? so it can get messy when you try to make it happen.”

“Oh.”

That suddenly made his shortcuts sound a lot more terrifying than they had when he was explaining them in sci-fi terms. Especially when you considered just how exhausted and low on magic he had been.

“i’ve been doing it a long time and i know what i’m doin’,” he said, catching your gaze as if he knew exactly where your thoughts went. “if i’ve been to a place before, i can get a pretty good sense of what’s there. makes it easier to find again and helps me know what to avoid when i go back. i wouldn’t’ve taken you with me if it was dangerous.”

That was slightly more comforting, but only a little. Still no matter the potential dangers, you couldn't deny how amazing it was.

“Are you the only one that can do that too?” You had a hunch that he was since it had to do with gravity.

“mmhmm.”

“Why are you so freaking cool?” you asked, feeling zero shame.

He was already retreating, slouching like he could hide in his hoodie. “it's notta big deal.”

Not a big deal? Was he nuts?

“I'm not going to argue with you on this because we both know that's not true,” you said.

He just shrugged again and reached over to eat some more casserole, but you could make out the light dusting of blue on his cheekbones. The flash of color reminded you of the light that had washed everything out after the crash and brought another question you had to the forefront of your mind.

“What was that other thing?” Sans paused in chewing and cocked his head at your very specific description. “You know? That was glowing?”

“the barrier?” he asked. “just a last-ditch emergency defense. was hopin’ we wouldn’t have to use it but here we are.”

“No, not that.” You could remember him telling you about the barrier before and you did want to know more about it, but not at the moment. “When you were using your magic. The heart? Was that my soul?”

His eye lights immediately dropped back down to his bowl. “oh. uh, yeah.”

You thought back to that moment again. You didn't know if it was because you were pushing yourself when it happened, the adrenaline, or because that other human had come after you right at that moment, but that part was still pretty fuzzy. You really couldn't really remember too much else except for just one split second everything stopped. It all faded away into the background until you were left with nothing but shocked awe as you stared down at the little heart that seemed to be made of light and warmth and so much more that you couldn’t put into words. But then Sans was pulling you away again and it all just spiraled back into, _it hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much._

“Did you do that?”

“no,” he said quickly. A little too quickly and he winced a little as he realized that. “well, yeah, but i didn't mean for you to get dragged into the confrontation too.”

“Confrontation?”

“the fight, ya know?”

“No, I don't know.”

“er… right. yeah, i guess you wouldn't.” He looked over his shoulder at the door and then back to you. “i don't mind talkin’ about it. it's just easier to show you how it works.”

“Right now?” you asked, slightly alarmed.

“nah, when you're all good and things aren't so…” He shook his head. “you know.”

That one you did know. And as depressing as the circumstances were, Sans no longer seemed quite so reluctant to have you around if he was saying that he was going to show you how magic monster fights worked.

So where did that leave the two of you?

“Soooo,” you dragged out the word, feeling your nerves knotting themselves up already. “What now?”

“i dunno. i really don’t.” He avoided your gaze and reached up to the back of his skull, letting his phalanges hook there. “but i do know that—”

“Excuse me.”

Toriel was suddenly at the door, her paws clasped in front of her. Now that you could really get a good look, her appearance was downright astonishing. Her fur was all white and the shape of her head was goat-like with curved horns and long, floppy ears, but the rest of her body was almost like a bear’s. Especially the noticeably sharp claws and teeth she had.

She had changed out of the nightgown she had been in too, instead donning a long, purple dress. A white symbol was on the front, three triangles forming a half circle, two pointing up and one pointing down, and above it, a small circle flanked by feathered wings. You wondered what it stood for.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but may we speak for a moment?”

Sans shot you a quick look and started to stand, but Toriel shook her head.

“I need to speak with the both of you.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Reader experiences pain and concussion symptoms, the wording is similar to disassociating/brain fog 
> 
> **EDIT:** If you ever suspect that you have a concussion, are extremely out of it, and throwing up, you need to go to the hospital. Absolutely do not fall asleep until given the green light by a physician. It could potentially mean bleeding on the brain and you could fall into a coma. The only reason the reader didn't here is because she was already being healed.
> 
> Okay, so I'm going to post this before I pick at it anymore. Sorry for the long wait. Not only did Crashtober (the time of the year when a lot of people with chronic illnesses experience the start of the decline in their health for the winter) hit me like a ton of bricks, but my service pup in training came home! His name is Orion, he's been dominating what little time and energy I have left, and if you wanna see him, go [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com/post/179256161308/service-pup-in-training-spam-post)  
> 
> 
> Back to the story real quick, I just want to say that while I've never broken a collarbone, my boyfriend has twice and I used his input to write the pain the reader was going through. I also have experienced countless concussions and have been in a car accident, so this is just how I felt during those times. I know not everyone experiences these things the same way, so please don't be bothered if you guys have had a situation that was different. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble (I've had really terrible brain fog the last few weeks, which is really kinda like how I wrote the concussion because they're similar for me), so if you guys see any typos or anything else off-putting, please let me know so I can fix it ASAP. This story really means a lot to me and I want to make it good for you guys. I know I'm way behind on replying to comments, but that's next on my to-do list. Thank you for your patience and all of your sweet words that keep me motivated when I'm not feeling my best! They really are such a major bright spot in my dreary fall, so thank you. <3   
> 
> BUT ONTO THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF, ARE YA'LL FREAKING OUT ABOUT DELTARUNE LIKE I AM? I don't want to dump spoilers here, but I am so full of questions and thoughts and aaAAAHHHHHH. So please dump your thoughts on me in the comments or shoot me an ask [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	17. Arrested Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you and Sans don't get some sleep soon, you two might just start giving the cops something to really be upset about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

“I need to speak with the both of you.”

Sans slowly lowered himself back down onto the bed. “what about?”

“The human authorities have finally arrived,” Toriel continued. “There are representatives from several agencies and they’d like to speak with you.”

“course they do,” he grumbled. 

“I would rather not bring them here, something I’m sure you will agree with, so they are waiting for you at the main guardhouse.”

“can’t they wait?” 

“I’m afraid that isn’t possible.” Despite the calm way she was talking, you could hear the tension filling the gaps between her words. “They wish to question you while the situation is still fresh in your minds.”

“it happened on the rez. it ain’t their problem.”

You didn’t know what to say, stunned into silence as Sans argued with the queen of monsters.  _ His  _ queen. Wasn’t that like treason or something? Or had you just watched too many historical dramas?

She was giving him that stony look from earlier again. “Since it involves humans, it is, and due to the casualties—”

Every muscle in your body locked up at that and you blurted out, “Casualties?”

No. No, no, no. The last thing you wanted was for people to get hurt. Oh god. Did you hit someone? Sans said that you hadn’t, but maybe he didn’t know yet either.

“Yes. I have been told that five of the six humans were killed in the chase. Two died on the road almost directly on the reservation boundary line.”

“Holy shit,” you whispered. “Five?”

Five people had died. They had died while trying to kill you. How were you supposed to feel about that? You immediately looked to Sans, the other half in the whole fucked up mess, and he didn’t look nearly so taken back. Instead, his face was set into a tight grimace, more teeth showing than usual and you could just make out the slanted edges of his pointed canines.

“how almost?”

She sighed. “Just a few feet outside of our territory, unfortunately.”

There was a moment where he just looked at her and she looked back. Then his expression crumpled completely. He still looked angry, still frustrated, but now his skull was lined and shadowed in a now recognizable way.

He was  _ afraid _ .

“great. just...fucking great.” Sans brought both of his hands to his face, his words muffled by them. “they’re really gonna go for it, aren’t they?”

It was hard to tell, you didn’t know her well, but that seemed to upset Toriel too. Her smooth, unruffled expression started to pinch around her mouth and eyes. “I do not wish to jump to conclusions, Sans, but to be safe I have already contacted our lawyers. They will also be meeting us at the main guardhouse shortly.”

Sans didn’t move. “what a crock of shit.”

“Wait, what?” You looked back and forth between the two monsters, trying to understand what you had missed. “What are they going to do?”

“He used offensive magic off of the reservation, against humans, and it resulted in their deaths,” she explained. “They may try to say that he provoked them or that it was unnecessary force.”

It wasn't anything like that!” you cried, horrified. “They literally hunted us down and tried to run us off the road. How’s that not self-defense?”

She gave a small, sad smile. “I know this, but the human authorities are the ones that need to be told and if we are to convince them of his innocence, it would be best to cooperate.”

That was all you needed to hear. 

“Okay, let’s go.”

Sans dropped his hands and turned to look at you, sockets narrowed. “what? no. you’re not even done healing yet.”

But you were already sitting the plate of spaghetti beside Sans’ bowl on the nightstand and trying to get your bearings. Even just pulling your legs up towards your chest and supporting yourself without the headboard hurt. You had to remind yourself just how bad it had been before, how much more bearable it was after being healed some. Granted you didn't have the potent mix of adrenaline and fear fueling your every step, but you could handle it now. You had to.

“No, Sans, I’m—no. It’s fine. We have to go before they make up their own minds without even talking to us.”

You shuffled your legs around where he was on the bed and hung them over the edge so you were sitting beside him. That was already infinitely worse, every muscle and joint coming to life in a chorus of painful protest, but like a woman possessed you pushed yourself to your feet. 

Too bad bravado could only get you so far. 

As you straightened up, there was a sharp tug deep below your skin. It was like someone had reached between your shoulder and collarbone, taken a handful of whatever they could find in there, and yanked with all their might. Your breath went out all at once in a gasp as you curled inwards on yourself, desperately trying to hold yourself together.

Sans was already there like he saw it coming, easing you back until you were sitting again and you didn’t miss the exasperation in his voice. “alright, alright. take it easy, alright?”

“Damn it,” you hissed, eyes screwed shut.

“t, c’mon. look at her,” Sans pressed the other monster, one of his hands lingering on your uninjured shoulder and applying just enough pressure to tell you that he wanted you to stay there. “i’ll go and talk to ‘em, but she needs more time.”

Toriel seemed like she was considering that. Even though you were still hunched over and couldn’t see her, you could feel her eyes on you. She was going to cave. You reached up and grabbed a handful of Sans’ hoodie sleeve before she could. 

“If you go there by yourself, it’s your word against a human’s,” you forced out, still trying to catch your breath. “I don’t know how they could possibly put this on you, but I don’t want to give them the chance to try. If we go together, they’ll take you more seriously. Especially if I’m hurt. I’m not letting them screw you over.”

Sans shuffled in place and soft fabric grazed against your bare skin. His knees were right in front of yours, making you realize just how close he was and remember just how much warmth he gave off. When you could lift your head again, he filled your vision completely. There was nowhere else to look but at him and for once, the creases and tension in his face didn’t make him seem perplexed or uncomfortable or even doubtful. 

He just seemed concerned.

For you. For himself. For a lot of things.

After a moment, he sighed. “okay, fine. but the spaghetti’s comin’ with us and they can ask us questions while you eat or we’re leaving. deal?”

Despite how messed up everything was, despite how god awful it was going to feel, you couldn’t ignore the hope that zipped through your chest at his words. Just as sudden and unexpected as heat lightning. Then it grew, sweeping through you hard and fast like a tsunami. You and Sans were going to handle it, the cops or whatever else the night wanted to throw at you, together.

“Deal.”

After a quick word with Papyrus to let him know what was happening and that he was in charge of the kids for now, Toriel decided she would drive you to the guardhouse. Sans was still too worn out to take a shortcut and that was more than fine with you. You weren’t sure that you ever wanted to try that again anyway.

From the outside, Toriel's van didn’t look nearly big enough to hold her, but somehow she managed to squeeze herself inside and Sans helped you into the front seat beside her before climbing into the back himself. You had guessed right, you had been in the residential area. The home of the king and queen was high up on a hill, much closer to the mountain’s peak than you had ever been before and it overlooked the valley below. The further down you went, more and more homes started to appear and cluster into neighborhoods. It seemed like an overwhelming amount until you considered that all of the monsters, their entire race was there living together in one place. When compared to the rest of the planet, filled to the brim with humans, not only like you but also like the ones that had turned this whole evening into a nightmare, it felt like there wasn't nearly enough of them.

Toriel suddenly spoke up. “What about your shortcuts, Sans?” she asked. “Are you going tell them about them?”

You looked into the rear view mirror and could see that he looked uncomfortable. He was clearly giving her question some serious consideration.

“Why wouldn't you tell them?” you asked.

“Well, when we were in the very early stages of getting our citizenship status settled, your government came up with the idea of a  _ voluntary  _ registry.” It was obvious from her tone that it was anything but. “A registry pertaining to our magic and what types we can use.”

That sent a twist of revulsion through your stomach. It was like something right out of a history book. A mistake to be learned from, not ever repeated by a modern society, and yet it had been. An official list of all of the monsters and what they were really capable of. Your thoughts were already racing ahead to just how much damage could be done that sort of information.

“Is it available to the public?” you asked.

“Thankfully, no.”

“I'm sure it's not hard to get your hands on it if you know where to look,” Sans piped up bitterly from the back.

You didn't doubt that either. 

“So Asgore and I made the decision that certain monsters with especially unique abilities would keep them to themselves,” she continued. “Not very many people know of Sans’ shortcuts to begin with and if there was ever a need for a quick escape, well…”

It was better if the humans were none the wiser.

“i… i don't wanna, but…” His eye lights flickered over to yours in the mirror. “prolly better to be honest, i guess.”

You had a feeling from the way he was looking at you that if he hadn't bothered explaining his shortcuts to you, then he wouldn't have bothered sharing the information with the police either. 

“We can tell them something else.”

“like what? the guardhouse is a long ways from tori's place. how else would we have gotten there?” he asked.

“We could say that we tried walking and Toriel was on her way to the guardhouse when she saw us.”

Maybe it wasn't the most thought out suggestion, but it was better than just giving them that sort of advantage over him.

“and how'd we get out of the van? don't think the doors really open the way they’re s’posed to anymore.”

“The windows maybe?” you tried. “They were broken, right?”

“yeah, i think.”

He seemed to be thinking it over, but ultimately shook his head in the end. “no. too many little details to slip up on. if we get caught up in a lie, they'll never believe us. just tell it how it is.”

Your reluctance must've been all over your face.

“it's fine,” he reassured you. 

And as was becoming the norm, you both knew it wasn't.

You quickly reached the end of the houses, stopping at a guardhouse. It was similar to the one at the entrance and still outfitted with a gate, but it was noticeably smaller. Toriel spoke briefly to the intercom and they let her through. From there, it started to look more familiar. Ahead was the square full of restaurants and shops. You'd never seen it from that side before and it was much larger than you had realized. Now that you had seen just how many families it was intended to serve and support, it made sense.

Before you made it all the way through the new businesses and into the more familiar storefronts, the main guardhouse came into view. The alarm wasn’t going any longer, but the majority of the barrier was still up. It filled the air around it with an energy so tangible that it prickled on your skin and cut through the night like a blade, painting everything near it in a neon blue. However, a small section that spanned the width of the road was open, revealing several figures, too far away to distinguish anything about them, moving around in the glow of flashing red and blue lights.

Toriel parked and Sans came around to help you out. You moved slowly, too focused on everything over his shoulder. Looking down the turn that led to Rock Bottom, you could get a good look at the wreckage for the first time. Shattered glass, bits of metal, and strips of rubber littered the road like a trail of breadcrumbs to guide your eyes to them. To your van and the single truck that had made it through.

God, what were you going to do?

Both vehicles were unsalvageable. The side panels and frame of the van were warped, the paint scraped clean off in long, angry stripes. As Sans had said, all of the doors were buckled and although your side had clearly taken most of the impact, it appeared as though none of them they would have opened without great force. The back windshield was gone, the back end crumpled and concave. You could just barely make out the pattern of the too-many worn and torn bumper stickers that lined the trunk door.

The front end of the truck was just as mangled, the fancy, too-bright light bar bolted to the roof was shattered and dark. It seemed the suspension or a tire rod or another structurally important component had given away, the whole body leaning sharply to one side. A dark smear spanned across what was left of the windshield, almost purple in the light of the barrier. What had that other human said to you?

_ You killed them! You fucking killed them! _

Five humans dead. Had it been two per truck? Was that blood? Had...had one of them died  _ right there?  _

A sound started to rise in your ears, like the warning howl of an eastern wind, growing louder and more violent by the second. Everything was tunneling again, slipping away into the distance but still so near. Where was all of the air? Why couldn't you breathe?

Were you responsible?

Should you feel guilty?

Could you feel anything at all besides the building pressure in your throat, your chest, maybe even your  _ soul— _

“hey.”

Sans was suddenly in front of you, moving his head slightly to block your view and his hand was on your good arm, giving it a steadying squeeze. 

“hey,” he said again, his voice low and soft but somehow you could hear it over the still swelling roar filling your head. “we’ll deal with all that later, alright? once they're done talking to us, we'll figure it out, okay?”

_ We.  _

_ Us. _

_ Together. _

You were nodding before you found oxygen again, because what else could you do? Sans inhaled deeply, his chest heaving up as if prompting you to do the same, so you desperately hoovered in as much as your lungs could take. It was too much, too fast, your head spinning, but the next one was easier. He watched you and you watched him, both breathing together for who knows how long until you felt yourself start to settle back into your skin. It wasn't quiet, the barrier gave off a distinct buzz, voices and the clatter of movement carried in from the guardhouse and beyond, but at least the storm between your ears had faded away to a careful, measured mantra:

_ In, out. In, out. In… _

A ridiculous, almost hysterical thought broke through and you couldn't stop yourself from saying, “You don't have lungs. Why do you breathe?”

The corner of his default smile tugged up slightly. “releasing excess magic. when we're not forgetting to eat and using too much at once, we usually make way more than we need so it's gotta get out somehow.”

“Right. Magic breath,” you muttered. “I probably could have guessed that.”

If you hadn't been losing your shit a bit, that is. But he chuckled at your deadpan tone and for some reason that was the last little push you needed to come back down completely. You nodded again, harder this time and with more conviction. You were there for something else. The van and everything else could wait for now.

“Okay, let's go.”

It took every ounce of willpower you had and maybe even some you really didn't for you to turn your back on the scene and to not look back as you followed them in. Toriel glanced at you, probably worried about your little almost break down, but you kept your eyes forward. The usual two guards that were always working the guardhouse were waiting for you inside the doors and flanked your small group, clad in armor and towering over you. You might have been a little intimidated by their size if it weren’t for the fact that you were instantly swarmed with more people. Some were monsters, but mostly they were human. None of them looked pleased and they all looked to you as you entered.

Before you could try to remember how to move or even think under so many piercing gazes, someone called out, “Your majesty.”

Two women, both sharply dressed, were waving her over. Toriel and Sans seemed to recognize them and went right for them. You were feeling breathless all over again, mentally scrambling over your still less than stellar memory of what had happened, until Toriel introduced them as Sharon King and Gina McGraw, two of the lawyers from the team that worked for the monsters. It wasn't surprising that a whole race of people would need more than one.

Toriel needed to go find Asgore, so she left you with them in what appeared to be breakroom with a fridge, microwave, coffeemaker and the like with a long table in the middle for you to sit down at. They wanted the whole rundown first, asking about everything you did that day, from the moment you opened your eyes all the way to when you’d left Toriel’s house just moments ago. They asked other things too, like how long you’d been planning to go to Over The Hop, how long you’d been working for Sans, and some other more personal things.

“And what exactly is your relationship?” Sharon, the older of the two women, asked, her razor-sharp gaze moving between you and Sans.

“To...who?” you asked, following her line of sight to the skeleton beside you. “To Sans?”

“Yes.”

Gina had a notebook before her on the table where she had been scribbling notes the whole time and she looked expectantly at you for the answer.

Well, that had kind of been up in the air all evening, hadn't it? 

“uh…” Sans had that cagey, cornered animal look on his face again, so you decided to save him the trouble of trying to respond.

“I guess you could say we're coworkers? I mean, I work for him and I'm good friends with his brother.”

Sans side-eyed you out of the corner of his eye sockets at that but didn’t offer any sort of objection. That seemed to be an acceptable answer and they moved on to asking questions about Papyrus. It felt like a lot because of just how much information they wanted, but really the whole thing took no longer than maybe fifteen or twenty minutes. The women were quick and efficient, helping you neatly arrange everything into a timeline that made sense and that you could easily tell the authorities that were impatiently waiting to speak with you.

“Everything you told us, you need to tell the police. Be completely upfront and maintain that you had feared for your life,” Sharon said. “Reservation or not, this is a case of self-defense.”

“They might try to confuse you to get you to slip up. We realize you've suffered injuries, including some head trauma, but you must be clear and very sure of what you're saying,” Gina continued. “We don’t want them to try and discredit you since you’re the only person who can confirm that Mr. Fontanelles’ magic was used only as a last resort.”

You could do that. Hopefully.

Once they were done, you were ushered to separate rooms to be questioned by uniformed police officers, Sharon going with Sans and Gina going with you. But before you went, Sans handed you the Tupperware dish of spaghetti that he’d brought along and firmly told you and the officers that you needed to eat. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to find any reason to object.

You were so nervous, so tired, that you barely saw their faces as you gave them the same story, but it was different with them. Their questions were even more specific, fishing out small details that would have never crossed your mind, and if you hadn't straightened out your story with Sharon and Gina beforehand, you would have floundered just trying to tell the truth. It was a good thing that Sans had decided he’d rather be honest.

Some of the questions were just odd and didn't seem to have to do with anything.

_ Why did you decide to go to Burrito Bell? _

“We wanted food and to make sure that I was good for the drive back home.”

_ And what did you order? _

“A number eight...with a large sprite?”

Others showed some obvious prejudice on their part.

_ Why did you agree to work for a monster? _

“I need money and he needs art. So it just worked out.”

_ Didn’t you think something like this would happen? _

“Not really. How could I have expected anything like this?”

_ Haven’t you heard about the other attacks? _

“They had stopped for a while, so I thought it would be okay and it’s not like it’s their fault that it keeps happening.”

Then they got more on point.

_ Why did you just start speeding?  _

“No one else ever goes that way because the monsters don't really feel safe enough to leave yet. I've never seen anyone else on that road except for me and they came flying up out of nowhere. Sans told me to get to the reservation as fast as I could, so I did.”

_ Why did he assume that they meant you harm? _

“He recognized one of the trucks from earlier, I think.”

_ You didn't recognize them? _

“No, there were too many lights to make them out.”

_ Why didn’t you call the police? _

“There really wasn't enough time to...and I wasn't really thinking straight. All I could focus on was trying to get away.”

Finally, they got to Sans and what they really wanted to know.

_ Did you see exactly what type of offensive magic Mr. Fontanelles used? _

“No, I was driving...and it was more defensive than anything because we were terrified and running away. All I know is that he stopped one of them from ramming into us.”

_ How did you know that they were going to ram you? _

“Because we were going almost one-hundred miles an hour and they were still gaining on us. There was nowhere else for them to go but right into us.”

_ And what about the confrontation? Did you see what sort of offensive magic he used then? _

“Yes. He can manipulate gravity on things, but he didn't attack the guy or anything. He just used it to stop the guy from coming after us.”

_ And how did you know that he was coming after you? _

“Because he screamed that he was going to kill us and called me a traitor to my kind before he started running at us.”

_ Tell us more about your soul. _

“I don't really remember that part very well because the guy charged at us again and I was in a lot of pain, but it felt like it was this really important, special thing. But that's all I could get before the guy almost grabbed me. Thankfully, Sans pulled me away before he could.”

You hated telling them about the shortcuts, but it was Sans’ decision and your story had to be consistent with his. Still, you didn’t give them anything more than they absolutely needed to know to understand what had happened. 

_ Did you know he had this ability before tonight? _

“No.”

_ Can you tell us more about it? _

“Not really. I wasn’t really in the right state of mind when he did it.”

_ Do you know how it works? _

“Um...magic?”

_ Why didn't he “shortcut” you out of the van before the crash? Or when the trucks showed up? _

“I'm not sure if he could. You'd have to ask him. But probably because we were scared and not thinking straight and it's probably hard to do when you’re running away from people that are trying to hurt you.”

On, and on, and on it went. As Gina warned, they even asked same questions over and over again, sometimes changing just one detail or two and you would have to correct them. It had to be intentional because one officer was taking notes and had a tape recorder, but you did your best to keep everything straight and kept reiterating that any magic Sans used was absolutely necessary to protect the both of you.

By the time you were released from the room, empty Tupperware container in hand, you were sore but able to move on your own without any trouble from your shoulder. You weren’t sure how much time had passed but you were dead on your feet. You weren’t alone in that. Sans was leaning against the wall beside the door and he looked even worse than you felt.

“you good?” he asked.

“No. And I know you’re not.”

For once, he didn’t disagree and he just sagged more against the wall so you joined him.

“What did they say?” you asked. “About your shortcuts?”

“they weren't happy about it. definitely gonna add it to my file or whatever it is they keep on each of us. but they said they appreciated my honesty.”

That was something at least. You waited there in silence for Sharon and Gina to finish speaking to the police, you weren’t sure what about exactly, but only Gina stopped in front of you. Sharon just nodded her head at you as she passed, walking in the other direction. 

“After speaking with the sheriff and the agents from the FBI and Homeland Security, they believe that you acted in self-defense and have no plans to press charges against you at this time,” Gina explained. 

You could have dropped in relief.

“But they might get in touch with you later to ask more questions. If they do, call us first before you speak to them,” she continued. “Also, you may have to appear in court to testify against Samuel Jenkins.”

Samuel Jenkins.

Such a normal sounding name for someone that had done something so cruel. During the questioning, you had learned the names of the others too since the police wanted to know if you were familiar with them. Aaron Bartlett. Skylar MacNab. John Horn. Matthew Jacobs and Andrew Jacobs, brothers. You didn't know a single one of them.

And now they were all dead.

Before you could dwell on it long, she handed both of you cards with her personal extension scrawled on it and went the same way Sharon had. Apparently, they still had a lot more to deal with that night than just you two. You didn't even want to know what their after-hours rates were like.

You were just thinking about asking Sans what else you needed to do before you could leave when his phone started buzzing and he pulled it to the side of his skull so you could hear the one-sided conversation. “hey...yeah. said we’re good for now. might have to answer more questions later and maybe go to court...no, they’re not pressing charges...yeah...yeah? i figured that would happen. okay, i...uh, what? i don’t think—” He shot you a quick look and sighed. “yeah, no. you’re right. okay. i’ll try.”

As he ended the call,  you asked, “Was that Toriel?”

“yeah, said she’s going to be here for a while and told me to take her van back to her house. they’re gonna move your van into the guardhouse parking lot eventually, but it’s going to be a while before they do that. so we’re free to go for now.”

Okay, that was good. But just how exactly were you getting anywhere? 

“Do you think I can look in the van for my stuff before they move it?” you asked. “I need to find my phone at the very least.”

“ya know, i bet somebody already did that. let’s check.”

Sans nodded for you to follow him down the hall and into a room filled with monitors. Through them you could see the parked police cars out front, forming a loose perimeter around the still smoking truck that had been previously crushed against the barrier. Sitting inside were the two usual guards, taking up the majority of the free space in the room.

“hey, did you guys clean out the van?”

The dragonesque monster scooted back in a rolling chair that looked comically miniature under his large form, reaching below the desk to pull out an open cardboard box.

“yeah...here.”

The guard handed over the box full of what was left of your belongings. Inside was a spare vest from work, some sketchbooks, your bookbag, purse, and a few other miscellaneous odds and ends. They’d even gathered up the few CDs that had fallen down under the seats, untouched for months after you finally caved and upgraded to a Bluetooth radio.

The other one piped up, “We tried to, like, be thorough, but it was a mess. So you might wanna, like, make sure you’re not missing something, you know?”

That hurt more than you thought it would. You never realized you’d be so sentimental about the van. It was slow, ugly as sin, and had to go to the shop every few months, but you’d had it for years. It had been your first and only car. Now it wouldn’t be anything more than scrap metal.

“Oh...okay, thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“No problem.”

As you left the office, you fished out your phone from the box. It seemed thankfully intact, saved by being stuffed inside of your purse. “I’ll try calling Chad or Erin to come pick me up. Amber probably wouldn’t even hear it ring if I tried her.”

“your roommates, right?” Sans asked.

“Yeah, they won’t have a problem with it.”

He had his thinking face on again. “it’s kinda a shitstorm out front right now. road’s all jammed up with cops and people from the news. i dunno know if they’re gonna be able to get through any time soon.”

You hadn’t thought of that, but what else were you supposed to do?

Sans seemed to have an answer for that. “look, you’re beat. why don't you come crash at tori's for the night? she wanted me to ask if you would anyway so we can make sure you’re completely healed up before you go. in the morning i'll bring ya to handle whatever ya gotta do for the van and take you home.”

Another overly generous act of kindness that you hadn’t expected from him. You considered declining. They’d done a lot for you already and you didn’t want to impose. Then again, you didn't think you could make it all the way home, even if someone else drove you. Your eyes physically hurt, heavy and overdry and struggling to stay open. The soreness that remained from your injuries wasn’t helping you stay upright, every muscle in your body slumping and begging to be given some rest. Would it be wrong to take him up on it?

“Are you sure? You're comfortable with that?”

“yup. wouldn’t’ve brought it up if i wasn't.”

Agreeing to stay was definitely the right decision because you’d barely dropped into the seat before you were out. Sans might as well have taken a shortcut. For all you knew, he had. One moment you had just closed the door and the next Sans was calling your name as he pulled into the garage. Your seatbelt was on, which was impressive because you didn’t remember doing that all.

Blearily you followed Sans back into the house. As soon as you made it into the dim living room, you found Papyrus sprawled out across the couch and snoring lightly. Every now and again, they would break off into a quiet, “nyeh.”

“Oh my god,” you whispered. “He does that in his sleep. I love him.”

Sans looked at you before looking down at his brother. Then back to you, one brow bone raised. “yeah, me too.”

You were too sleepy at the moment to find anything odd about his reaction and Sans could tell because he started moving. He went through a large archway that might have led to the kitchen, but you couldn’t say for sure because the lights were off and he opened a door directly on the other side of it. Flipping on a light revealed a carpeted set of stairs, presumably leading down to the basement.

Or a murder dungeon. A nice one, if the carpet was any indication. But so long as there was a bed down there or even a soft mat, you wouldn’t complain.

He started down. “they have a spare bedroom down here for whenever anyone needs to stay over.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“you know i can sleep anywhere. floor. table. i’ll make it work.”

“That sucks. Can you teleport home and sleep in your bed?”

“eh, prolly, but everyone else is here.”

It was dark at the bottom, but Sans moved forward like he knew the way well enough on his own. You could only just make out his outline with what little illumination carried from the stairway. He stopped, opened up another door, and with some scrambling along the wall for a switch, there was light and more importantly a bed! Not one as big as the king and queen’s had been, but it was plenty for just you.

“aw, man. where are the sheets and shit?” he groused, moving further into the room and opening the folding closet door. All that was inside was one lonely hanger, dangling from the rod. “hold on, lemme find ‘em.”

Before he could get out the door, you asked, “Hey, um, is there a bathroom?”

You still weren’t sure if monsters needed them, after all. Thankfully, Sans pointed you to another door in the room. There was an attached full bath with a stand-up shower, just like your room at home. Maybe it was strange, but it was oddly comforting to be doing something normal and mundane like peeing and washing your face. Things you had to be alive to do.

As you were about to walk out, there was a knock.

“gotta spare toothbrush and some toothpaste for ya.”

You opened it to reveal Sans, but you couldn’t see said items because a huge, fluffy comforter was also stuffed into his arms, blocking his hands from sight as it spilled over his arms.

“Spare...as in used?” you asked hesitantly.

“yeah, it’s my old one. it should be okay, right?”

Your face must have been completely transparent because Sans snorted. He adjusted his grip on the blanket and held out a toothbrush, brand new and still in the box along with what looked to be an unopened tube of toothpaste.

“tori keeps a few extras in case anyone forgets theirs. figured you’d want it.”

Hell yeah, you did.

“Thanks, you’re the best.”

There was that quick flash of color on his face again as he turned away. “‘s just common decency, to tell ya the tooth.”

You shut the door on him for that, even though he could probably hear you laughing from the other side since you heard him snickering just fine. Brushing your teeth really was a blessing. The different things you’d eaten throughout the night had helped with the taste, but there was still that slight bitterness on the back of your tongue that only crisp spearmint could get rid of. 

Feeling more human than you had before, you left the bathroom to find Sans sitting on the bed and slumped over an entirely different spare blanket that he was holding to his chest, face buried. From his muffled snores, you knew he’d finally crashed. After a moment’s hesitation, you gently shook him.

“Hey, Sans. You probably shouldn’t sleep like that.”

“mmm.”

He just flopped onto his side, still clutching the blanket to him. You weren’t sure if it was because you were running on fumes or if it was because he kind of reminded you of little kid at that moment, but it was adorable. At least he was laying down. He didn’t even budge as you pulled the blanket out of his arms and spread it out over him. You couldn’t help but feel relieved to see him all covered up and dead to the world, knowing how badly he needed it.

So now where were  _ you  _ going to sleep?

Papyrus was upstairs on the couch so that was out and so was the royal bedroom for too many reasons to list. You could do what you’d said before, call one of your roommates, but one peek at your phone told you that it was very close to dead with no charger in your possession and that it was well past three in the morning. Typing quickly before the battery could go completely flat, you sent out a group message to your friends to let them know that you were safe, staying with Sans and Papyrus, and that you would call them as soon as you could.

And with no other options, you crawled into the bed and carefully pulled the covers over you as best you could with Sans laying on top of them. He was pretty well contained on his side of the bed and with the blanket creating a sort of barrier between you, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been...right?

Maybe if you been more awake and not on the verge of falling asleep standing up, you would have given the boundaries you were crossing (or completely leaping over) some more consideration. Your relationship with the skeleton was already rocky and confusing enough, so there was no need to go throwing gasoline onto the fire. You likely would have been fully aware that just because of everything the two of you had gone through together that night, that just because he had been kind to you, that it didn't make it okay to curl up onto your side there next him and close your eyes.

But you were just too tired to think anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** References to death, blood, anxiety attack, descriptions of crashed cars, prejudice against monsters
> 
> Alternative titles for this chapter include:  
> 1\. Fuck the police! Comin' straight from the Underground!  
> 2\. There was only one bed! Whatever were they to do?  
> 3\. Can you tell that I really didn't want to write an interrogation scene?
> 
> But are you guys excited? Without giving away too much, the next chapter is what I consider the end of the first arc of this story and where things finally stop being quite so slow burn. I am just so ready to smoosh the two awkward dorks together, aren't you?
> 
> Thank you all so much for your continued patience and support. I will be getting to the comments from the last chapter ASAP and I hope you all are having pleasant holidays if you celebrate the ones that take place this time of the year. If not, I hope you're just doing well in general. <3
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** If you ever suspect that you have a concussion, are extremely out of it, and throwing up, you need to go to the hospital. Absolutely do not fall asleep until given the green light by a physician. It could potentially mean bleeding on the brain and you could fall into a coma. The only reason the reader didn't here is because she was already being healed.
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 


	18. let me lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why couldn't you just let Sans keep fooling himself into thinking that you wanted to hurt him and everyone he loves? Things were so much simpler that way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Soundtrack](https://open.spotify.com/user/1214408237/playlist/68lUfUAuTkPBxPRXQ0piJt?si=l29Ij1IHQkSGmQlPw1fBNw)  
>  (Updated with new music with each chapter)

Sans was a cuddler.

Had been as long as he could remember. Pillows, Paps, Zuzu, the fitted sheet he failed at putting on the bed properly— anything really. If there was one thing that helped him sleep better, that would be it. So when he opened his eye sockets to find your head on his sternum and his arms around you, well...

He wasn’t nearly as surprised as he should have been.

It was still enough to drive his soul into a small, irritated frenzy. He immediately froze up, hands locked in place and teeth clenched tight as he held his breath. He didn’t remember falling asleep and he sure as hell didn’t remember doing so in the same bed as you, but he knew with his track record that he was most likely the perpetrator. The last thing he needed was for you to wake up and freak out too.

But his panic passed quickly once he realized that you were still sound asleep. Totally out, like you didn’t have a care in the world. As his body slowly relaxed bone by bone, he didn’t bother trying to deny that it was good to see you like that. Even apart from saving him from one hell of an awkward conversation and you thinking that he was some kind of creep, you just deserved the rest after everything that had happened.

Not like this though. Not while he was holding you. That had nothing to do with a good night’s rest and everything to do with another, not-so-small disaster waiting to happen. One he really didn’t want to deal with. Yet, for no good reason, he didn’t move right away.

If he was being honest...

He probably should have seen it coming. Something like this was bound to happen from the moment he first saw you. Or more specifically, your smile. He’d been teasing Paps about the tape for the flyers, threw out some perfect play on words, and you actually laughed. Just a little, but it was enough to make your lips curl up into a grin.

And he was instantly fucked.

Why?

Because he made two very dire mistakes.

He first thought to himself, _nice. don’t see ‘em like that every day._

He was a sucker for a pretty smile, but yours was more than that. There was just something so natural about it, so sweet and earnest and _full_ , that it was hard to look away from. The kind that made him want to smile back.

Then he thought, _too bad it’s wasted on a human._

So why _wouldn’t_ things end up like this? It was like he had been practically begging for some good, old-fashioned karmic retribution. He wasn’t so full of himself to believe that the universe came up with new and interesting ways to fuck with him specifically, but that’s how it always ended up anyway. So here he was and there you were…

Snug as two bugs in a rug.

It was funny, in a twisted kind of way.

If he’d found himself in this situation a week ago or hell, even a day ago, he’d have probably flipped his shit. Maybe even got pissed at you. You didn’t get to be close to him like this. You weren’t even someone he’d call a friend.

But now…

Sans was tired. Bone-weary, if you will. And you were close and warm and just who had the audacity to make humans so soft? They weren't even covered in fur. It didn’t make sense that something so undeniably dangerous could also be downright cuddly under the right circumstances. 

He felt the coming and going of breath, sneaking past the collar of his hoodie and cooling his clavicles. A palm resting limply on top of his ribs. The tickle of hair, brushing up under his mandible. Fleshy curves that fit easily in his hands, his phalanges instinctively seeking out and pressing where he could feel the shape of the skeletal system below your skin.

So you were a cuddler too.

Not that he thought you purposely wanted to end up this way or anything. He might have been wrong about a lot of things when it came to you, but of that, he was sure. He figured he must’ve zonked out before he’d finished making the bed up for you and you had just decided to roll with it. He knew how exhausted you were, so he couldn’t fault you for that. Maybe now that things were different, he might have even done the same thing if the roles were reversed. From the blanket that had gotten shoved down around his middle and yours, it seemed like you'd hoped it would be enough of a divider for the night, but you had no way of knowing about his koala-like nighttime tendencies.

You made a quiet noise. It wasn’t really a snore or any sort of coherent word either, more of an exhale than anything, and nuzzled your face closer into his hoodie. At that, there was a jolt somewhere deep down in his core, a surge of magic that had his whole skull burning. He really was well and truly fucked, wasn’t he?

To think he’d fooled himself into believing that a friendship with you was his biggest concern. But his soul wasn’t so easily convinced. No, somewhere inside of him, he’d always known that was the least of his worries when it came to you.

But a human?

A goddamn _human?_

You weren't just any human though, were you?

All that time he spent keeping you at arm’s length. Struggling to justify his suspicions. Refusing to give you a chance. Letting you get just close enough to think he might be okay with you before freezing you out all over again.

It was a whole other kind of cruelty. One you clearly didn’t deserve and he could admit that now. Maybe you weren’t a friend, but that’s all you’d been trying to be and you could have been if he’d just let you.

So what exactly were you to him then?

You wanted to know and he couldn't tell you. Sharon and Gina had asked too, but he still couldn't come up with an answer. You had told them that you were coworkers and that just didn't sound right either.

Especially after everything that had happened just hours before. Coworkers didn’t almost die together. Protect one another and run for their lives together. Breathe through pain and panic attacks together. Try to make each other laugh so they wouldn’t burst into tears and comfort each other when they did anyway together.

And something changed. Not you, you were the same as you always had been. It was him. He was just finally looking at you. Really seeing you.

It was _you._

He never should have needed some extreme circumstance to get there. He’d always known but chose not to. Turning a blind eye to everything good about you until he had no other choice but to acknowledge it. From the very beginning, you had only wanted to help and he might as well have slammed the door in your face.

God, he felt like such a clueless prick.

And he...

His eye sockets closed.

You, you, _you_.

Not for the first time, his thoughts found their way back to your soul. Beautiful and brilliant. Of course, you were. Close enough to feel its warmth, to touch, to…

Ugh. He needed to stop. Wasn’t he already enough of a freak for just laying there, awake but unmoving, as long as he had been? He absolutely shouldn’t be thinking about you that way. It was a confrontation, for crying out loud. Not...anything else.

“...mmph.”

He went still once more, not even daring to think that time. That didn’t stop you from making those sleepy sounds again though and you were moving. Oh fuck. Were you waking up? Oh god, oh god, no. Please don’t. Not while he was like this—

You rolled onto your front suddenly, your head moving up to his shoulder joint and your chest replacing your hand on his ribs. You were almost completely on top of him now, one arm and a leg were all that prevented you from being totally draped across him. He hoped with every fiber of his being that you would find him to be a terrible pillow and move away, but you stayed put.

Then, lips lightly brushing his cervical vertebrae, you sighed, “Sans…”

He couldn’t stop the shiver that trickled all the way down to his sacrum.

Welp...alrighty then, universe. Just keeping throwing the freaking punches. Stars above, why were you saying _his_ name like _that_ in your sleep? All breathy and content, like you were exactly where you wanted to be?

More than just his face was warm now, a persistent flutter going through him. He shifted a little underneath the weight of your body on his, but it didn’t do much more than let him better feel all the ways you were pressed up against him. Just when he was thinking it couldn’t get any worse, your hand found where his hoodie had ridden up during all of the shuffling and slipped inside like it owned the place.

For the second time that night, your fingers latched onto his ribs.

And he didn’t yelp this time.

He _groaned_.

Low and shamelessly needy in the way the dark of night encouraged. His spine automatically arched, pressing himself up into your warm grasp. It’d been so long since someone else had touched him there and there was just something about the way your skin felt on his bones. It was familiar but strange, gentle but intent, and just so damn—

Nope!

Nope, nope, hell to the nope! No matter how nice it felt, no matter how much he wanted that hand to linger, to play anywhere it wandered...whatever you were to him, it definitely wasn't _that_.

He needed to go. Now. Before things got even weirder and more messed up.

How he managed to disentangle himself from you, he couldn’t say, but it only took him a few frantic and flustered moments to crawl out from underneath you. After scrambling out of the bed, he yanked the blanket back over you like he was covering up the scene of a crime and hastily stumbled back. Just as he was about to bolt, something made him hesitate. It was like his soul was rooting him in place, urging him to climb back under the covers...with you.

But he didn't.

He backed away while he still had some semblance of sanity left and slipped out the door as quietly as he could. Turning right at the top of the stairs, he made a beeline for the kitchen. He wanted to think about food and nothing else for a little while. Despite scarfing down whatever he could get his hands on earlier, it still wasn’t enough to get his body operating back to normal and his soul still ached. Getting all worked up over some accidental canoodling wasn’t helping him any and agitated magic was stirring inside him, desperate for an outlet—

Not that he was going to give it one. He wasn't really even worked up to begin with. Nope. Not at all.

He was so distracted by his own denial that he pretty much missed the figure moving around in the dark until they were pretty much on top of him.

“Sans?”

Thankfully, he recognized the voice.

“shit, t! ya scared me,” he all but cried and he quickly lowered his voice before he woke everyone. “what’re you doing in here with all the lights off?”

Tori flipped on said lights and was blinking down him, probably just as surprised to have snuck up on him as he was. It was usually the other way around.

“We got back not too long ago, so I was just having a cup of tea to hopefully help me relax. I am heading to bed now,” she explained. “Forgive me.”

“oh. no, i mean... it’s your house. you can hang out in the dark all ya want.” Sans wanted to shrink up and disappear. “my bad. i’m a little…ya know, on edge right now.”

It wasn’t a lie...technically.

“Understandable,” she said, looking him over more carefully than before and he tried not to squirm. “Would you like a cup of tea? I can make you one before I go upstairs.”

He probably should have asked how everything was. He was sure it couldn’t be good. The media already had to be spinning some kind of bullshit and it would be like trying to put a cork on a volcano once the general public got ahold of it. But it would all still be there in the morning.

“no, thanks. i’m good. just gonna find somethin’ to eat real quick and get back to sleep.”

Tori’s mouth suddenly twitched, the hint of a smirk lingering at the edges, and Sans didn’t like it one bit.

“Back to sleep?” she asked. “With our guest downstairs, you mean?”

There it was.

How did she know? Had she checked on them when she got back, only to find them all cozied up together? Knowing her, she probably did, and he felt even sleazier than he had before. Not only had there been a witness, but of all people, it had to be _her_.

Fucking super.

“nope. not doin’ that.”

He quickly slunk away from her to the fridge, looking for something fast and easy so he could dip out as quick as possible. Tori just kept smirking so big behind him that he could practically  _hear_ it. He groaned again but for an entirely different reason this time.

“didn’t mean to fall asleep down there in the first place.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“ya know i didn’t.”

“Perhaps,” she conceded, but Sans wasn’t stupid enough to think that was all she had to say, “but I _am_ very surprised that you brought her here in the first place.”

He understood why she felt that way. She knew him, his doubts and fears. If he had been truly concerned about keeping you away from his family, he could have found someone else to heal you. There were plenty of other monsters with the skill to do so. He wasn’t really thinking about that at the time though and there wasn’t any need to anyway.

“look, she’s worked for me for a few months now,” he said instead sharing of what he was thinking. “and she’s friends with paps. what did ya expect me to do? just leave her there?”

“No, of course not, but you seem...close.”

“it’s…”

His initial impulse was to protest. To tell her that she couldn’t be more wrong. The last person he’d ever let himself be _close_ with was a human.

But the memory of your presence was still too fresh in his mind. He could still feel it, warming him from the inside out. Your breath, your hair, your so soft touch...

Your _closeness_.

He didn’t know what to do with any of it. Not a freaking clue. He and you had some sort of situation going on for sure, but what happened down in the basement didn’t really have anything to do with that. You hadn’t even been conscious for it, which only made it a bigger mess.

So what did that mean for him?

Hell if he knew and he was in no mental state to figure it out at the moment. So instead of trying, he grabbed the milk and some cereal from on top of the fridge. He was too tired to put together anything else more elaborate than that.

“she was hurt because she was helpin’ me out,” he explained, keeping his back to her as he snagged a bowl from the cabinet. “so i’m helpin’ her out, ‘s all there is to it.”

He didn’t have to look at her to know she wasn’t buying it. The cereal clattered noisily against the glass as he poured it and then the milk came next. He put them away and made it back to his bowl on the breakfast bar before he remembered that he needed a spoon, so he had to swipe one from the drawer before he could climb up into a stool. She stayed silent the whole time, waiting.

“can i just eat this and check out for the next few hours?” he asked. “i know you only have my best interests in mind and all that, but i’m barely awake, t, and i can’t do this right now.”

Thankfully, she didn’t seem too insistent on pressing him for details. For now. She relented with a sigh and rubbed a paw over her face, looking weary herself.

“You should be eating something better than cereal then.”

“i look that bad, huh?”

“You must take better care of yourself, Sans,” she chastised, ignoring his playful question. “You pushed yourself almost too far tonight and what would I tell them if you hadn’t come home?” She looked briefly towards the living room where Paps’ quiet snorts could be heard before she continued, “We, all of us, would be absolutely lost without you. I cannot give our devastation justice with words.”

It was a bittersweet admission. A sobering one. Regret and relief and rancor and a whole slew of other mixed emotions struck him, stacking up into an overwhelming heaviness that almost overtook him right there.

“i’ll do better,” was all he could manage.

“I know you will,” she said. “I know how hard you have been trying to be.”

He just spooned up a bit of cereal and let it slop wetly back into the bowl. It was already getting soggy and he watched it float around in there for a moment. His appetite was gone, just like that, but he started scooping into his mouth before she rightfully scolded him again.

“And for what it is worth, Sans,” she continued gently, coaxing his gaze back up to hers. “She seems lovely. I wouldn’t mind getting to know her better if you two are going to continue to grow closer.”

He somehow managed to choke before the food fully disappeared from his mouth.

“i-i told ya it aint...we...we ain’t,” he sputtered, too flustered to finish the thought because really he hadn’t told her anything at all.

And that was telling enough on its own.

Tori gave him a sly, knowing smile before turning to the doorway. “If you say so. Goodnight, Sans.”

“...yeah. okay. night.”

Could he please shut down now?

He quickly polished off the cereal, threw the dishes in the washer, and headed back into the living room. Paps was right where he should have been. Then he went upstairs, passing Tori’s room where he could hear hushed voices behind the closed door, and kept going. He stopped at each of the kids’ rooms, poking his head in to make sure they were in bed, until he found the bedroom decorated in purples and blues.

Zuzu was curled up in her daybed, the same one he had for her at his place. It had been such big deal transitioning her to it from the crib. She didn’t give him much of a choice, climbing and crawling all over the thing like she had a death wish. He still chuckled at the memory of how excited she had been while he was putting it together, her first big kid bed, but she still ended up finding her way into his room every night for weeks afterward. But hey, he knew better than anyone that change was scary.

Now she slept there through the night just fine, surrounded by a whole army of stuffed animals to keep her safe. Her favorite rabbit doll was tucked tightly to her chest and he couldn't help but grin at that. Like father, like daughter.

He gingerly pushed some of the troops aside, just enough to make room, and snuck in beside her. It wasn’t really meant for two, but she was so small and he just pulled her closer. Just thinking about not being able to do that anymore, just holding and loving and _knowing_ her, took his breath away all over again. It was too painful to linger on for long.

She was still there. Thank the stars and everything else above, they were all still there. That was what he needed. As for what he wanted...

No one else needed to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **IMPORTANT CONTENT WARNING:** Brief mentions of death and panic attacks, slight groping, sexual-ish thoughts, touch-starved Sans, very slight acknowledgment of soul sex, implied self-neglect/depression
> 
> So yeah, did everyone notice the rating change? :) 
> 
> Somebody take this angsty, pining skeleton away from me. This was yet another unexpected chapter. A few notes I had on Sans' thoughts turned into this instead of my original plan for their "morning after." Please let me know what you think because this is kinda sorta the direction things are heading. 
> 
> Also, while I have you I wanted to ask for your thoughts about the true love of our lives...Papyrus. If he were to hypothetically end up with someone in this story, would you rather it be a human or a monster? I have it written two different ways in my draft and I need help making a decision, but I can't tell you who. And no worries, this isn't going to turn into a triangle. You're strictly his platonic human friend in this story.
> 
> You guys can find me on Tumblr [here.](https://outindaylight.tumblr.com)  
> 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading.


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